The Journey of Shuna
by moviefan-92
Summary: A story version of Miyazaki's manga 'SHUNO NO TABI'. As the prince of a poor country, Shuna searches for the golden seeds of the god men to save his people. He faces the evils of the world, saves 2 girls from slavery, and finds a world of magic. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1: Setting Out

**(A/N: I said I would write one. Didn't I say that I would write one? This is a fanfiction novel of Miyazaki's manga, **_**The Journey of Shuna**_** or if you prefer **_**Shuno no Tiba**_**. If you haven't read the manga, I strongly suggest reading it. It's really short, it'll take maybe 20-30 minutes to read, but it's very good. It can be found here, just remove the spaces:**

**www . mangafox . com / page / manga / series / 3351 / shuna no tabi**

**You don't **_**have**_** to read it, but I still recommend it. And if you do, don't forget that manga is read RIGHT TO LEFT.**

**Now then, here begins my new story. Oh, and don't forget to look for the Ghibli movie connections that I like to thrown in.)**

**Talking **"…"

**Thinking** _'…'_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**"THE JOURNEY OF SHUNA"**

**Chapter 1: Setting Out**

For many years, the tribe of the Emishi people lived in a secluded area. Not necessarily by choice, but by force. Their ancestors had been driven here by the emperor. Believed to be extinct, the Emishi people remained hidden. Though very much alive, the people never left the small kingdom they had formed, even after the emperor that had attempted to wipe them out had passed away. They had simply fallen in love with the land and believed it to be their one and only home.

Sadly the land that they had come to know and love was dying. It did happen. Land died and someday would be reborn, but should this happen then the Emishi people would surely perish. But they would not leave not leave their kingdom, for they feared what would become of them should they be discovered. After all, one emperor had tried to kill them all, what if the another did as well? And so they went on, fearing that they would soon die out, yet they lived everyday for what it was worth and found as much enjoyment in life as they could.

But the Hiwabie seeds they harvested, which provided most of their food source, was refusing to grow. It was almost as if the earth was planning to finish what the emperor had started.

Of course, they did hunt, but only when it was necessary, for the Emishi people believed that all life was sacred, and they valued it all, both good and bad. But right now the situation called for it, and so the prince of the Emishi rode on his red elk through the mountains, determine to find some food for his people.

"Things are getting bad." He said to himself. "Something needs to be done. I can't stand to watch my people suffer."

The red elk, if it even understood its master, gave no reply, unless walking faster could be counted as one. The young prince smiled down at his trusted friend and held the reigns tighter.

"You're determined to help, aren't you?" he asked. "I just wish the elders would be more trusting of the outside world. I mean, I know that one emperor tried to kill us off, even though I don't know why, but that was nearly 600 years ago, who's to say that his descendant is the same?"

Again, he received no reply, not a verbal one anyway, but it wasn't like he had expected it. So he was left to his own thoughts. He knew that they were afraid. Their ancestors had been exposed to the evils of the world and were nearly killed, but times change, people change. The world couldn't possibly be such a terrible place. They couldn't live in a constant state of fear just because of one man, who had long since passed away.

The elk came to a stop as a canyon appeared before them. The prince pulled for the elk to stop here. He simple sat atop his pet, listening to the wind howl through the canyon. Somewhere beyond it was the outside world. He was very curious of what it was like. But the Emishi people had a law that clearly stated that should any of the Emishi leave the kingdom for the outside world that they were never allowed to return. This was once again due to fear of being discovered.

Sighing, the young prince hung his head, looking down into the canyon. His eyes widened as he spotted what appeared to be a person at the very bottom. Whoever they were, they were lying down and not moving. The prince's heart began beating rapidly as he feared the worst.

"Yakul, quickly!" he cried to his elk.

The red elk was named after another elk that had once belonged to the Emishi people. He had been told that this elk had helped one of his people face down a demon that had attacked their kingdom, back when it was merely a simple village. When he heard this tale, he named his own elk after the brave one that had helped defend his people.

Yakul and the prince quickly made their way down a safe route that led to the bottom of the canyon. He hopped off the elk and ran to the fallen person. Now that he was closer, he saw that this person was a man, and that he was not one of his people. He also realized, much to his relief, that the man was alive. It seemed as if he had collapsed from hunger and weariness.

"Sir, are you ok?" he asked.

The man only moaned in reply. He was very old, and was all skin and bone. His eyes flickered open, taking in the features of the young prince holding him.

"H-Help… me…" he begged.

He didn't need to be told twice. The prince brought the foreigner over to Yakul and saddled up. This man needed medical attention, fast!

'_At least I won't be going home empty handed.'_ He thought, directing Yakul to his kingdom.

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Though the Emishi people were hidden from the world, that didn't mean that they didn't receive visitors. It was extremely rare, and just by chance that they were stumbled across, but they treated their guests with the utmost kindness and respect. But they never revealed who they were. To any visitors, they were merely some people making their way in the world that wished to be left alone, for they didn't want their existence known to the outside world.

But it seemed as if this time they need not worry about their identity being discovered, for it soon became very obvious that the traveler would not live long.

The young prince waited outside the healer's room, waiting anxiously to find out how the poor old man was. He wasn't sure how long he waited, but finally the old healer exited the room the traveler now occupied.

"How is he?" he asked worriedly.

The old woman sighed sadly. "I am sorry, my prince, but there is nothing we can do." She told him. "His body is very weak, and he runs a high fever. Even our most effective spells and herbs have failed. Soon his soul will pass one to be with his loved ones."

Despair filled the prince's heart. But he knew that if the old healer said that nothing could be done, then nothing could be done.

"How long does he have?" he asked.

The old woman gave him a sad look. "He should be freed from his suffering by the coming of tonight's moon." The prince hung his head and the old woman put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There is nothing that could have been done. We can only hope to make his last few moments in this world as blissful as we can."

The prince nodded. "I understand."

The door opened and another healer poked her head out. "My prince, he is asking for you." she told him.

The prince winced. He didn't think he could bear to look into the eyes of this man, knowing that he would soon die, and that there was nothing that he could do to help. But he nodded just the same and entered the room.

The old man was resting in bed. He looked as if he could pass on at any moment. His skin was deathly pale and his eyes were glazed over, as if he were seeing something far away.

The prince walked over to the traveler's bed and said, "You asked for me."

The old man blinked and looked at the young prince. He managed to give him a small smile. "Ah yes, you are the young man that brought me here." he said in a raspy voice. "Thank you for your hospitality. May I know your name?"

"Shuno." The prince replied. "I am Prince Shuno of the Emishi people."

The old man looked amused. "A prince, you say." He chuckled and his laughs turned into a coughing fit. "What a coincidence. I am too."

"Really?" Shuno replied not sure if the old man was joking or not.

The old man nodded. "Indeed. I am the prince of a small country way to the east."

Shuno found it strange that a prince would be so far from his kingdom. "Then why are you way out here?"

The old man sighed sadly. "The country was poor, and the people were always suffering from starvation. I left long ago to find a way to help them. When I was young like you, I met a lone traveler. That traveling gave these to me." He held up a bag that he refused to allow the healers to take from him as they had attempted to help him. "He said, with this grain, the people would be able to live happy and prosperous lives without the fear of going hungry…"

Shuno's eyes widened in amazement as he listened to the old man. He accepted the bag that the traveler gave him and emptied out its contents into his hand. Large seeds that were surprisingly heavy fell into his open palm. They had a strange feel to them and Shuno knew immediately that these were no ordinary seeds.

"Our Hiwabie seeds are small and poor." He told the traveler. "Can we have these?"

The old man gave him a sad smile. "You can. But to sow these in the earth would be futile… These seeds have lost their shells… they're dead." He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "He told me that living seeds of this kind are wrapped in a beautiful shiny golden shell…"

Shuno felt his spirits sink. For just a moment, he had allowed himself to hope that there was a chance that his people would never have to suffer again, and that these miracle seeds were the answer. But just like that, he was in the same position as before.

"So you went searching for seeds like these that were still alive?" he asked.

The old man nodded. "I wished to experience the people's suffering for myself and set out on a journey to find these golden seeds…" He sighed again. "But I am now old… my strength is gone…" He looked very tired. "But I know that they're out there, those miracle seeds. Far to the west where the earth ends, there are rich, waving fields of golden plants…"

His eyes closed as he gave into his exhaustion. Shuno stayed with the old man until his breathing stopped.

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Ever since that day, Shuno could be found silently staring towards the west. Everyone knew what he was thinking. He wanted to go after those golden seeds. He wanted to bring them back and harvest them so that his people would never go hungry again. Of course, he knew that by his people's law that if he left he would be 'dead' to them.

It seemed so ridiculous to Shuno. Overall, he was perfectly content with staying in the kingdom and living a peaceful life away from the outside world, but his people were going hungry, they were _dying!_ How could he not think about trying to save them anyway he could? But no, all because the elders feared the outside world that he wasn't allowed to leave.

"Up here again?" came the voice of an old woman.

Shuno turned to the speaker. He nodded to the old woman in greeting, giving her a smile. "Grandma Kaya, how are you?"

The old woman, who was actually his great grandmother, chuckled. "As good as 102 year old woman can be, child." She went to sit by him, her back cracking as she sat down. "You're thinking about what that traveler told you again, aren't you? The tale of the golden seeds."

Shuno didn't deny it. "How can I not? That's the answer to all our problems. But the elders won't let me go because they fear the outside world so much."

Grandma Kaya merely cocked her head to the side. "You are the prince. If you truly wish to leave, no one can stop you, save your father." She chuckled. "But I am his grandmother! I'm above him, even if he is the king!"

Shuno managed to crack a smile at the old woman's joking. But then he frowned. "Even so, what would be the point? I only want to leave so I can bring the seeds back to my people. But it would be pointless if I'm not welcome back."

Grandma Kaya gave him a stern look. "I would welcome you back, young Shuno. And I'm sure the others would too, for your cause is selfless. You just need to convince your father to welcome you back. I think I have a very good chance of convincing them. Our people need help, and this may be our only way of saving ourselves. That old fear is such a nuisance. But if they value their lives, then they will indeed make an exception with you."

She fell silent, letting Shuno think about this for a moment. After a while she spoke again. "Shuno, I'm going to tell you something that no one else in the kingdom knows, for it happened a long time ago, back before any of them were even born." She glanced back at the small kingdom. "Do you know the origin of the shrine in our village?"

Shuno nodded. "Yes, it's where a god died."

The old woman nodded. "Yes, that is true, but there is a story behind it, one that is not know to the others, for it was never spoken of. You see, it is true that a god died there, but it was my brother that killed him."

Shuno's mouth dropped open in shock. "Your brother killed him? Wait, I didn't even know you had a brother."

Grandma Kaya chuckled, but her laugh was humorless. "Yes, but it was a long time ago. And do not think badly of him for taking the god's life, for he did it to save mine, and the lives of everyone. You see, the god had become a demon, blinded by rage and hatred. He would have killed us all had it not been for my brother."

Shuno put two and two together. "A demon? Was he the one that killed the demon that attack long ago? The one who owned Yakul that I named my elk after?"

Grandma Kaya nodded. "Yes, his name was Ashitaka, but we do not speak of him because he broke the law and left the village."

"Why?"

"Because the demon left a curse on him. A curse that caused him great pain and would eventually kill him if he did not find a cure for it. And you know how our stupid law goes. If you leave the village you are dead to us."

'_That's stupid!'_ Shuno thought. _'The guy was dying, what was he supposed to do?'_ He gave the old woman a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Grandma Kaya. Wish I could have known him."

"I wish you could have too." Grandma Kaya replied, wiping away a tear.

"Did he ever find a cure?"

The old woman looked thoughtful. "I don't know if he did or not, but I do believe that he managed it. If there was a way, he would have found it. But as are our laws, he was never to return." A determine look appeared over her face. "But I didn't care about those stupid laws. They had forbidden us to watch him leave, but I did anyway, and I gave him a crystal dagger to remember me by. So you see, Shuno, I broke the law, and do you know what happened?" Shuno shook his head. "Nothing. The elders understood that he was all I had left. He was my only living family, and no harm came from seeing him off, or from giving him my goodbye present." She gave him a smile. "If it's for a good cause, and you're not afraid of getting in trouble, then I say do what you feel is right and not what the elders say is right."

She fell silent and spoke no more of the subject.

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"Absolutely not!" the king yelled. "You know our laws. I forbid you from going on this ridiculous journey."

Shuno crossed his arms and glared at his father. "I did not know that wanting to save our people was ridiculous." He snapped. "Father, elders, we must face the truth; if nothing is done then we will be in even more trouble than we are now. If I find these seeds, then we'll never have to worry about going hungry again."

One of the elders spoke up. "We must follow our paths even if it is our fate to be poor, and allow ourselves to be laid to rest here."

Shuno angrily slammed his fist against the wall. "I will not stand by and watch my people die! Just listen to yourselves! You're letting our ancestors' stories of one long dead emperor that had tried to kill us a long time ago; long before even the oldest of us was even born, stop us from saving ourselves." He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "Had the old man not perished, would you have forbidden him to leave? What about the others that have come and gone? Why did you let them leave when they knew about us?"

"They knew about us, but not _of _us." The king replied. "They were not Emishi. They did not know we are Emishi, and we kept that secret."

"Father, do you really think that I would say or do anything that would give away the continuing existence of our people? I can remain silent. And besides, what's the difference whether I leave and never return or leave and come back again. The chances of others finding out about the Emishi's continual existence is just as great. These laws are made to be sure that no one would ever want to leave."

He took a moment to catch his breath, letting his words sink in. He had thought long and hard about this law and could come to only one conclusion. His ancestors feared the revealing of their existence so much that they had made it that anyone who left the village would not be allowed to return. This was the only way they could make sure that no one would ever want to leave and risk letting the world know that the Emishi people still lived. That meant that Grandma Kaya's brother, if he did indeed find a way to lift his curse, was banished simply to keep a bogus law, all out of fear.

The king and the elders were silent as they thought over what the young prince had said. Shuno took a deep breath and finished his speech. "I understand your fears, but whether you like it or not, I am going to find those seeds, and I'm going to return, regardless of those stupid laws. I _am_ going to save our people!"

Without waiting for a reply, he stormed out of the room. The king and the elders remained where they were, surprised by their prince's behavior. After the initial shock, they began to discuss what would have been discussed long ago.

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"They say the prince is leaving." The women gossiped. "He's packing far too many bullets for a simple hunting trip."

"They say he's going against his the king and the elders' wishes."

"He's going to bring back food. He believes what the traveler said about the golden seeds. Oh, wouldn't it be great if he did bring them back?"

"But once he leaves, he is to be considered dead to us. He won't be allowed to return."

"That's stupid! He's going to _save_ us. They can't banish him! That law is ridiculous!"

Shuno ignored the talk as he continued preparing for his journey. It didn't matter what was said, he had already made up his mind. He would find the golden seeds, and then return. If he was banished for it, fine, but first he would make sure his people were saved.

If he did return, that is. Shuno knew that there was a chance that he would never find the golden seeds. After all, the traveler had searched for them his whole life and found nothing. Shuno could very well be following in the man's footsteps. Even so, he would try anyway.

So, on the night of the new moon, Shuno saddled up Yakul and prepared for his journey. He didn't get too far before he ran into Grandma Kaya, who seemed to be waiting for him at the end of his kingdom.

"It was night when my brother left as well." She told him. "I'm experiencing déjà vu, only this time it's my great grandson that's leaving."

Shuno offered her a smile. "I will return. With the golden seeds too."

"I have faith in you." the old woman told him. "And I will welcome you back with open arms. As will your father and the elders." She smiled. "They have agreed to welcome you back if you do bring the golden seeds with you."

Shuno's eyes widened. "They have?"

"They have. They were going to tell you tomorrow and see you off, but I had a feeling that you would be gone before then. So I came to tell you myself."

Shuno smiled. "Don't worry, I will find the seeds."

"I know you will. And maybe you'll find a wife to bring back too." She winked at him.

"Grandma Kaya!" Shuno cried, turning red.

The old woman laughed. "It would be nice. But just having you come back at all would make me happy. Good luck to you, my prince."

Shuno smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Grandma Kaya. Goodbye. Let's go, Yakul."

Yakul took off, taking Shuno with him. Grandma Kaya watched him go, smiling sadly. Shuno's journey had begun.

**(A/N: ****Well, that brings the first chapter to an end. Who liked it? As I'm sure you noticed, there were a lot of connections to **_**'Princess Mononoke'**_** in this chapter, and you'll find more connections with other Ghibli movies later. So, thanks for reading, now hit that review button and tell me what you think.****)**


	2. Chapter 2: To The West

**(A/N: The next chapter is here! you know, one of the really irritating things about the misc. anime section is that not many people go through it, and it's difficult to find anything you're looking for. But I did see that some people round my story. Yay! I know give you the next chapter.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 2: To The West**

"And I thought our village was bad." Said Shuna as he and Yakul rode through the rotted and pockmarked land. The rust-scum water stretched for as far as the eye could see, and the wind brought strange offensive smells. "We haven't seen a living thing for days. What kind of place is this?"

He looked up at the large statues that had perhaps once been part of a mighty kingdom. It was strange how much things could change. This land was perhaps once very wealthy and full of life. Had it been nature that tore down this mighty empire, or did the humans just destroy themselves? Whatever the reason, Shuna began to understand why his ancestors feared the outside world, and he wished very much to be back in the safety of his small peaceful kingdom.

As the sun began to set, making it exactly one month since Shuna had left his home, he searched for some shelter from the night. Twice already he and Yakul had been caught in a desert sand storm after dark, and he didn't want to make it a third time.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Shuna look around for some sort of shelter. Anything would be better than being out in the open. And that was when he saw it. A large structure in the distance that would provide the shelter he was seeking.

"It's gotta be a mirage." He said to himself. He looked down at Yakul. "What do you think, am I seeing things?"

Yakul merely cocked his head to the side. Shuna sighed and steered him towards the large structure. Why not take a chance? Maybe it wasn't a mirage. If it was, then he would be in the same position he was in now.

As they got closer, Shuna saw smoke rising from the structure and his thoughts of it being a mirage began to fade. Was this real? And were there other people there? He hoped so. He longed to sleep in a real bed for once and to have a real meal.

"Maybe they'll even have a place for you to rest up." He told Yakul.

When they finally made it to the structure, Shuna saw that it was actually an enormous boat made of wood and stone. How old was this thing? Had this part of the world once been submerged in water and eventually become a desert.

"It must be over a thousand years old." He whispered in awe. "I can't believe its still standing."

He directed Yakul towards a window that had light coming from it. He hoped whoever was here would be able to help him.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" he called.

A robed figure appeared in the window, even though they were hidden by their robes, Shuna knew it was a woman. She gave Shuna a curious look, but said nothing.

"I am a traveler down on his luck." Shuna told the woman. "Could I trouble you for a night's food and shelter?"

The woman seemed to consider him for a moment. She still remained silent, but she pointed towards her left. Shuna saw a hole in the wall where she was pointing. It seemed as if the woman was indeed allowing him entrance.

"Thank you very much." He told the woman, hopping off Yakul and heading towards the hole.

But as he approached, something crunched beneath his feet. The sound sent a shiver up his spine as he looked down at what he stepped on. His eyes widened as he saw that they were human bones. These bones had been tossed aside carelessly as if they were no more than trash. How could these people so carelessly toss away the remains of their dead? And why the bones seem as if they had been picked clean of flesh. Some of them were new, from the recently deceased. There was no way that the flesh could have completely decomposed in such a short amount of time. Then he noticed that they had been burned, broken, and it looked as though the marrow had been sucked out.

"I don't think this place is safe." He whispered to Yakul, hopping back onto the elk's back. "Let's go, quickly!"

He rode away at top speed. It wasn't long before he heard wild scream from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the woman in the window shouting angrily and waving her arms around as she watched him flee.

--

Shuna didn't stop until the large ship was completely out of sight and the darkness of night made it too difficult to continue. Hoping that he and Yakul were far away from the mad woman, he set up a fire and settled down for the night.

_'That was too close.'_ He thought. _'I wonder who those people were. Could have been the Goor tribe I heard about?'_

The thought made him shiver. He had heard tales from the rare few people that passed through his village of a tribe of cannibals that feasted on the flesh of people. Remembering the stories made him feel nauseas and he was no longer hungry.

As he tried not to think about the horrifying tales, sleep began to take its toll, and soon Shuna was fast asleep.

As he slept, dark figures ran through the desert, not making a single sound as they crept towards the light of Shuna's fire. Shuna and Yakul slept soundly, unaware of the approaching danger until it was too late.

Lassos flew through the air, wrapping around the young prince tightly. Shuna's eyes snapped open as the ropes tightened around him painfully and he was dragged across the sand.

"What is this?" he cried.

Then he saw them. At least half a dozen people, dressed in the same robes as the woman in the ancient boat were heading for him. He had been followed, and now caught. Any doubt in his mind that these were not people of the Goor tribe vanished as he realized the danger he was in.

"Let me go!" he shouted. He heard chuckling from his captors as they closed in on him, weapons raised. Shuna clenched his teeth as he reached for his sword. "Alright, if that's the way you want it."

He unsheathed his sword and cut his bindings. Tossing the sword aside, he whipped out his rifle, just as his attackers closed in on him.

Shuna fired, and the cannibal tribe back off. They had knives, axes, and swords, but nothing that could beat a rifle. Shuna aimed at them, giving them a look that clearly stated that he would kill any of them that approached.

"Leave me in peace!" he shouted at them. "I don't want to kill you, but don't think that I won't defend myself if I have to."

One of the robed figures began shouting in a foreign language unknown to Shuna. He recognized it as the voice of the woman who had tried to trick him into entering the ship. He spotted her sitting on top of a terrified Yakul, shaking his fist angrily.

Shuna turned his rifle on her and fired. The woman's angry yells turned into a cry of pain as she lost half her arm from the speeding bullet.

That was all it took. The Goor tribe fled, abandoning their attempt to capture Shuna. He was relieved that they decided to flee. He would have liked to avoid any killing.

The only one who remained behind was the woman he shot. She laid on the ground, holding her bloody stump as she looked at her arm lying on the ground.

Slowly, Shuna approach the woman, ready to fire if she tried anything. He poked her with the end of his rifle and the woman looked up at him fearfully. She began speaking in her language. Shuan didn't understand, but he could figure out what she was saying.

Cocking his rifle, Shuna nodded in the direction the Goor tribe had fled in. "Get out of here. And don't come after me again."

The woman cowered beneath him. She began to reach for her missing arm, but paused when she realized it meant getting closer to Shuna. Instead she just whined and fled in the direction her tribe had gone, weeping the whole way.

Once she was gone, Shuna took a few deep breaths, letting his racing heart slow down. He was safe. For now, but he didn't know if they would be back.

"Better not take any chances." He told Yakul, climbing on the elk's back. "Come, we'll ride this night and sleep in the morning."

Yakul was all too anxious to obey.

--

Shuna sighed as he looked at his supplies. "Well, that's it, Yakul. We're all out of food." He looked back in the direction he knew his kingdom was in. How long had he been gone? How many moths had passed by? "Time seems to lose meaning when you travel."

He petted his elk, who looked up at him while chewing on a mouthful of grass. Shuna rolled his eyes at the look he received. "Don't look at me like that. I can't eat grass like you." Taking Yakul's reigns, he tied the elk to a tree. "You stay here while I find something to eat."

Yakul's reply was to bend over and much on some more grass. Shuna smiled as he went in search of his own meal. Unfortunately, the only available food seemed to be lizards that seemed to enjoy sunbathing.

"Guess it's better than nothing." He said to himself.

He fired at the lizards, managing to hit one before the others took off at great speed. Shuna chased after them, but they were fast little critters were fast. Shuna went after the largest one as it ran up a hill. He followed it until he reached the top before he stopped in his tracks.

"Can it be?" he whispered. "It is! It's a village!"

Overcome with relief, Shuna abandoned his attempts to catch any more lizards and went to retrieve Yakul.

"Hurry, Yakul! There's a village up ahead! Maybe they can provide us with food and shelter!"

He tried not think about what happened the last time he thought he had found shelter, but he put those thoughts aside. He was not going to be like his ancestors and fear the world just because of one person. Well, technically it was a whole tribe that had tried to kill him, but it made no difference. The whole world couldn't possibly be evil.

Unfortunately he was no better off than he had been before. The village he had spotted was abandoned, and had been for a long time. The houses were in ruin and the fields had reverted back to wild.

"I wonder what happened here." Shuna said to himself. He sighed. "Oh well there's nothing I can do. The seeds I am looking for are not here."

He didn't leave the village right away, but instead searched for anything that would be of use to him on his journey. The insides of all the houses were in ruins. After looking through a fifth house and still finding nothing, he just sighed and went back outside to Yakul.

"Come on, Yakul. There's nothing here-"

He froze as he saw something that made him freeze in fear. Standing only a few yards away was a cougar. Its fur was as white as snow and its eyes were the color of blood. And Shuna immediately knew that this oversized albino cat was just as hungry as he was, for those red eyes held bloodlust.

'_Great, just my luck to get cornered by a hungry puma.'_ He thought.

His eyes shifted over to Yakul, who was tied to a tree a few yards away. His rifle was strapped to the elk's saddle, well out of reach. He cursed himself for his stupidity.

'_Damn it, why did I leave my rifle behind? I'll never get to it in time.'_

The large cat licked its lips in anticipation of the meal to come. It got into a pouncing position, ready to attack. Shuna's eyes shifted to the rifle again. Taking a deep breath, he made a run for it. There was a roar from the cougar as it charged.

Shuna ran as fast as his legs could take him. He didn't dare to look back, not until his fingers closed around the weapon. As he spun around, the large cat tackled him. He was knocked to the ground, but the rifle was digging into the cougar's gut. He pulled the trigger and the cougar stilled. He blinked a few times, looking confused for a moment before it went limp.

Shuna let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and pushed the body of the beast off him.

"That… was… too close…" he said, gasping. "I've got to be more careful."

On the brighter side, now he wouldn't go hungry.

--

The next day, Shuna and Yakul continued on their journey to the west. For two days, they saw no one. But on the third day, they came across the first people they saw since the Goor tribe.

A group of men, driving a large armored wagon pulled by beasts passed them. Shuna was relieved to find some people, but he suddenly had a feeling that they weren't the friendliest bunch. He asked for help all the same.

"Excuse me, I'm a traveler on search for golden seeds. I was told that they could be found to the west and that they can save even the poorest of lands. Do any of you know of such seeds?"

The men just sneered at him and remained silent. Shuna caught the knowing look in their eye and had a feeling that they did indeed know about the seeds he was talking about.

"Please, I beg you. I have journeyed very far. Any information you have will be helpful."

The men remained silent, and Shuna knew it was useless, they wouldn't tell him anything. So he reluctantly passed by the wagon and continued down the trail. But as he passed the wagon, a foul smell reached his nose.

Turning around, Shuna got a look at the wagon's cargo and his mouth dropped open in disbelief. The wagon was full of people, and they were all caged and chained like wild animals. Why were they in cages? Surely they weren't there of their own free will. The looks on their faces was enough to indicate that much.

"Hey, stop!" he shouted, turning Yakul around. He rode back over to the wagon and began shouting at the men on board. "What the hell is going on here? Why are they caged up? What are you doing with them?"

One of the men glared at him. "Get lost, kid. This is none of your business."

"None of my business?" Shuna cried in outrage. "You have people _caged_. Why are they caged?"

The man growled. "These people are criminals, ok. Now beat it."

Shuna didn't believe the man's words for a second. "You have children and the elderly in there. Do you really expect me to believe that they're criminals?"

"Yes, I do. And if you don't leave now, you can join them."

The man cocked his gun. The other men gathered around their comrade, glaring at Shuna in a threatening way. Shuna hated to admit it, but there was nothing he could do, not against this many armed men.

"Even if they are criminals, see to it that they're treated well." He told the men.

They snickered at his order. "Sure, kid, we'll take _real_ good care of them."

Shuna narrowed his eyes, but was forced to turn away. He just prayed that the poor souls within the wagon would be all right.

Strangely enough, Shuna and Yakul passed many similar wagons. Each one of them just like the last, driven by men dressed in the same fashion as the ones he first met.

After asking several times for directions, and still receiving no answer, he gave up and just passed the wagons in silence.

Finally, after long last, the two came upon a city. One that was bursting with life. Shuna sighed in relief, glad to be back in a civilized society.

"Thank goodness for that." He said. "Hopefully someone will be able to tell us which way we need to go." His eyes narrowed. "And just what was up with those people in the wagons."

**(A/N: That ends this one. for those of you that read the manga, you'll have noticed that I added an extra scene in this chapter that wasn't in the manga. I'm talking, of course, about the albino cougar. However, it is briefly mentioned that Shuna killed one in chapter four of the manga, so I decided to add it. With that said, thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for reviewing, hint, hint.)**


	3. Chapter 3: In The Citadel

**(A/N: Got another chapter for you. This is when the story really starts to get interesting. Hmm, it seems as if I'm writing this one pretty fast. Probably because I have the manga as a reference. Anyway, thank you leyi666 for leaving me my first review. And now, here is the next installment.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 3: In The Citadel**

"Who would have thought that such an active city would exist in this barren wasteland." Shuna said to himself.

He looked on in wonder at the busy land. Though the tall towers were slowly decaying away, but the citadel's interior was thriving in a way Shuna had never seen before. People were moving about all over the place. He noticed several people dressed as the men driving the wagons he had passed on his way here. They were all leading other people around by chains. The poor chained folks looked poor and sick, their clothes nothing but rags and their bodies coated in dirt. He winced when he saw one of the men whip one of the prisoners when they tripped.

"Get up, scum!" the man shouted, as the whip came down again.

Shuna's eyes narrowed in anger and disgust. _'Lying bastards. These people aren't criminals, they're _slaves_. I can't believe they actually have slavery. They're just selling them off like common household items. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.'_

Shuna couldn't stand to see people being mistreated as such. How could anyone allow this to happen, let alone take part in it? It was cruel. These slave dealers were not men, they were monsters.

'_The seeds I am looking for can't possibly be in a place like this.'_ he thought. _'I've got to get out of here. I'll leave just as soon as I can buy some food.'_

He walked through the corrupt city, trying and failing to avoid looking at the poor slaves. If only there was something he could do. But he was just one man. One man could only do so much.

He approached the first food stand he came across. The merchant there gave him a disapproving look when he approached. "Yeah, what do you want?"

Shuna frowned. He noticed the merchant's clothes and realized that this man was obviously one of the rich folk. It seemed as if only there were three people in this city. The rich folk, who purchased the slaves and ran businesses, the slavers, who took anyone off the street that weren't the rich folk, and the slaves that couldn't afford anything and thus were taken to be sold.

Ignoring the man's rude tone, Shuna said, "I would like to buy some food."

The merchant just sneered at him. "If you can't even afford descent clothes, then there's no way in hell you can afford anything from my stand."

Shuna's eyes narrowed and he pulled out a jewel-encrusted knife, presenting it to the man. The merchant's eyes lit up at the valuable item and his attitude changed immediately.

"Well, my dear boy, it seems as if I misjudged you! Welcome to my shop!"

Unfortunately, drawing the crystal knife brought on unwanted attention from other merchants. They began crowding around Shuna, eyeing the knife greedily.

"Hey boy," one of them called, "don't waste your time at this stand. I have the best items in town."

"That's a lie! My shop has the rarest of valuables!"

"Well, I have a an antique vase straight from the legendary flying castle Laputa."

"Forget them, boy, I've got a deal for you that will really knock you off your feet."

Shuna was surprised by the sudden change in attitude he received once he revealed that he had something of value. These people were very greedy. He would have to be careful, he wouldn't put it passed them to try and mug him.

"I'm sorry, but I am not looking to buy anything except for food." He told them.

The merchant in charge of the food stand laughed. "Ha, ha! You hear that! The boy knows what's really worthwhile. So then, boy, take a look at what I've got and make your selection."

He pulled aside the curtain to reveal mountains of seeds. Behind the piles, slaves could be seen moving bags of beans and threshed. Shuna's gaze moved through the piles of seeds and his eyes widened when they fell on one in particular. This pile contained the seeds he was looking for! They were exactly like the kind seeds the old traveler had given him. He had finally found what he was looking for.

Or so he thought. His spirits came crashing down as he realized that the seeds were _identical_ to the ones the traveler had given him. Meaning that they were missing their shells. They were dead. Just as useless as the ones the traveler had given him.

But that meant that he was close. These seeds had to have come from somewhere. He just needed to find them while they were still alive.

"Sir, these seeds here."

The merchant smiled broadly. "Ah yes, you have expensive taste. These seeds are very hard to come by, and they certainly aren't cheap. For your crystal knife, I could give you…"

He began counting on his fingers, but Shuna cut him off. "No, actually I was wondering if you had any that were still alive. I was told that these seeds are wrapped in golden shells. Do you have any like that?"

The merchant frowned and shook his head. "Afraid not, son. These are how we get them."

Shuna didn't give up. "Where do you get them? I didn't notice any fields."

The merchant snorted. "No one is left to tend the fields. We get the wheat we need from somewhere else."

"Then can you tell me where this wheat comes from?"

The merchant was beginning to lose his patience; the expression on his face was evidence enough of that. "The slave dealers exchange their wares for it. Go ask them."

Shuna nodded. "Thank you for your help."

The merchant nodded with Shuna's words. "Yeah, yeah, now, is there anything that you wish to buy?"

After purchasing as much food as he could get for the crystal knife, he went in search of the slave dealers to find out about the golden seeds. He approached two men leading a group of slaves and tried to avoid looking at the poor captives as he questioned them about the golden seeds.

"Golden seeds, what golden seeds?" asked the first man.

"I was told that the slave dealers exchange their wares for the seeds." Shuna explained.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Slave dealers? We're man-hunters."

His partner nodded. "Yeah, we don't care where the buyers take their shit."

So, these men caught the slaves and delivered them to the slave dealers, who then sold or traded them away. How despicable!

Shuna sighed. "Then can you tell me where I can find these slave dealers?"

"You can come with us." Said the first man. He yanked on the chains of one of the slaves. "We're taking these bastards there now."

Shuna just nodded, not trusting himself to speak, less he say something that he would regret. Instead he followed the two men over to an area where several men were locking up the captured slaves.

"Hey, boss!" one of the men called. He nodded at Shuna. "This kid wants to talk to you."

The slave dealer gave Shuna a curious look. His eyes traveled over his body, taking in his appearance, and he crossed his arms as he seemed to come to some sort of conclusion about the young prince. "I hope you have good reason for wanting to speak with me. I am a very busy man."

Shuna nodded, hiding his disgust. "Sir, I was hoping you could tell me of the golden seeds that you receive."

"What's it to you?" the slave dealer demanded.

Shuna frowned, but tried to stay on the man's good side. "I was hoping to get some that were still alive."

The slave dealer's eyes narrowed. "So, you want to steal my trade secrets, eh?"

Shuan shook his head. "No, no, not at all. I merely wish to-"

"Listen kid, I suggest you get out of here before you make me lose my patience; I'm already running out of it."

He turned away from him and went back to his 'business'. Shuna realized that he would receive no help from the man and went to find another, hopefully more helpful, slave dealer.

Sadly, he received no help from anyone. All of the slave dealer's remained silent, and gave him nothing more than dirty looks.

Sighing in defeat, Shuna sat down in a dark alley, away from all the noise. He felt drained from the day's events, and wanted nothing more than to get out of this hellhole.

"I can't believe we came so close, just to get turned away." He said to Yakul, taking a bite out of a roll. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

Some movement caught his eye and Shuna turned to find a little girl watching him. She was small and dirty, her clothes nothing but rags, and she had a metal collar around her throat. She was clearly a slave, and she couldn't have been more than six years old.

Shuna was shocked by this. _'They even take girls as small as this…?'_

He was disgusted by the mistreatment. Not even animals deserved to be treated so poorly. How could anyone be so cruel?

He stood up and the little girl quickly hid behind a large vase. Not wanting to scare her, Shuna carefully approached. He saw the little girl clinging to an older girl about his age, who was also a slave. She too had a collar around her neck and was chained to the wall like the little girl.

The older girl looked up at Shuna, her eyes cold and glaring. Even beneath all the dirt and grim, Shuna could tell that she was very beautiful.

Turning back to the little girl, Shuna held out the roll he had been eating. "You can have it." he told her.

The little girl clung tighter to the older slave, still looking terrified. The older girl considered Shuna for a moment, and her expression softened. Shuna couldn't blame her for her distrust. He for one wouldn't trust anyone in a city such as this. She probably thought that he was a slave dealer or a man-hunter.

Slowly, the older girl reached out and accepted the roll from Shuna. Though her expression had softened, her eyes were still hard. "Thank you." she said quietly.

She handed the roll to the smaller girl, who began taking small bites out of it. Shuna felt his heart go out to them, wishing there was something he could do to help.

"Mr. Traveler, sir, I see you have an eye for quality."

Shuna looked up at the unexpected voice. In the window above the two slave girls was a man dressed in expensive looking clothes, grinning broadly at him. Next to him was a woman, who Shuna imagined was his wife.

Shuna coked his head to the side and said, "I'm sorry, what?"

The man laughed. "Stay right there, I'll be right out." Before Shuna could reply, the man was gone. He came outside and gave Shuna a big smile. "So, you're interested in my slaves, are you? Well, sonny, you sure know how to pick 'em." He wrapped an arm around Shuna, as if they were old friends. "These two sisters are descended from royalty. You could take them as wives or as chambermaids. I'll let them go cheap, just for you."

Shuna felt disgusted. Wives? Chambermaids? First of all, his people only had one spouse, and there were no such thing as chambermaids in his kingdom. Second of all, the little girl couldn't have been more than six years old. What kind of sick person was this slave dealer?

If he could, Shuna would buy them just so he could set them free, but alas, he had spent the last of his money and traded away the last of his precious stones. "I'm afraid I have no money or anything of any value." He admitted.

"No?" the slave dealer frowned. He looked over at Yakul, considering the elk for a moment. "Well, I could give you a straight swap for your animal…"

Shuna looked at Yakul. Though he wanted desperately to help the poor slave girls, he knew that he couldn't give up Yakul, or else his journey would be over. He couldn't possibly continue his search on foot.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't give him up." He said. He looked back at the two slave girls, his desire to help them written all over his face. _'If only I could set them free!'_

The slave dealer tapped his chin. Then his eyes fell upon the rifle. A sly smile crept over his face as he began to reach for it. "How about this then? You seem attached to that old musket, but I'd be willing to trade it for them."

Shuna looked down at the rifle. The man was willing to trade two lives for a gun? Was human life valued so little here?

Apparently it was. But it only took Shuna a second to make up his mind. True, it would make hunting down food a lot harder, but it would be worth it if it meant saving these two girls from this madman.

Taking up the rifle, he began to hand it to the greedy slave dealer, But the older girl suddenly sprang to her feet, grabbing Shuna's arm. "You mustn't!" she cried.

Shuna gave her a surprised look. He was about to free her and her little sister, and now she didn't want to be freed? No that wasn't it, the look in the girl's eyes indicated that she did indeed want her freedom, but she didn't want Shuna to give up his rifle.

"If you give up your weapon, you too will be hunted down in time." she told him.

The slave dealer gave her an angry look. "Shut up, wench! Know your place!"

The girl ignored him. "We are not descended from royalty, and besides, we don't want to be bought, even by you!"

The slave dealer pushed Shuna aside and took out a whip, bringing it down on the girl's shoulder. "Silence! I'll show you who's the master!"

The girl fell to the ground. The slave dealer raised the whip for another swing, but Shuna grabbed his arm. "Stop it!" he shouted.

The slave dealer glared at him. "What do you think you're doing, boy? I can do whatever I want with my property!"

"The hell you can!" Shuna shouted.

But then strong hands grabbed him from behind and he was pulled off the slave dealer. Several man-hunters held him back, stopping him from helping the poor slave girl.

Shuna struggled to get away, but there were too many. "Stay there and don't make a fuss, unless you have a death wish."

Shuna knew that they weren't joking. He gave the slave dealer the dirtiest look he could muster, but the man only smirked at him. "Off with you then, you uncouth rascal, or would you rather I demonstrate to you how prettily she can scream?"

Shuna looked at the two girls again, wanting so badly to help them. The older sister looked up at him, her eyes full of determination. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

The slave dealer turned to her and brought down the whip. "I said be quiet!"

The older girl winced at the whip, but didn't back down. "Just go before you too are subjected to our fate!"

An amused look crossed over the slave dealer's face. "So, you're volunteering to show how you can scream for him. Very well, your wish is my command!"

He raised the whip.

"NO!" Shuna shouted. He didn't want to cause the girl anymore pain. "I'm leaving. Just stop hurting her." He pulled away from the men holding him and retrieved Yakul. He gave the girls a sympathetic look and said, "I'm sorry."

No longer able to wait until morning, he and Yakul rode out of the city, wanting to get as far away from it as possible. But as far as he was concerned, there was _no_ place far enough away. The memory of this accursed city would haunt him forever. Thank goodness there was no enslaving anywhere near his kingdom. He couldn't stand to think of his friends and family being treated to such a horrid fate.

As the two continued onward, Shuna felt something warm and wet hit his hand. He looked at the water droplet and realized that it was a tear. They were streaming down his face as he wept for the poor slaves, and no amount of wiping would stop them.

Soon all his strength just seeped out of his body, and so they stopped for the night. Shuna suddenly felt very tired, more tried than he ever had been in his entire life. And things just seemed so hopeless. What was he thinking? He was going to find some miracle seeds to bring back and save his kingdom? How was he going to do that when he couldn't even help two girls? It just seemed so impossible. How was he going to do this?

"Oh, a fire!" Shuna looked up at the unexpected voice. An old man was looking back at him, grinning. "Would you mind awfully sharing it with a tired old man chilled to the bone?"

Shuna motioned for the man to sit down. "Please, join me."

The old man smiled. "Thank you kindly, dear boy." He said, sitting down across from Shuna. "Good luck comes to those who are kind to the elderly."

Shuna offered the man a smile, but it immediately turned into a frown. The old man noticed his expression and said, "So, so… trouble is coming, is it? Hm? Hee, hee, hee!"

The old man's laughter was contagious, and Shuna too cracked a small smile. At least there were some descent people in this area. "I guess you can call it trouble. Now that I think of it, I should have realized that I was going to fail the whole time."

The old man looked thoughtful. "So, you were going to fail from the beginning, were you? Well, dear boy, you should know that anytime you do something that there's a chance that you might fail. Just what happened to make you think you can't come out of this victoriously, hmm?"

Shuna frowned. "I was in that city to the east. And I had was forced to face reality."

The old man blinked. "Oh… at the market place, was it?" He laid down to get more comfortable. "That's a bad place. I try to avoid it as much as possible. They wouldn't have a problem catching an old man like me and selling me off. Yes, sir, that's one bad place. But what happened that brought on this sorry mood?"

Shuna looked at his feet. "I was going to find the golden seeds to help my people in my village," his fists clenched, "But I can't even save one small girl…" The tears began flowing again. "How can I save my village if I can't even help a hungry slave?"

The old man seemed to find Shuna's dilemma amusing. "Hee, hee, hee… so that's where you lost your confidence in your journey." He nodded in understanding. "You can't deal with the harsh truth of the world, is that it, boy?" His amusement faded away, and his expression became serious. "Then you should simply turn around and return to your homeland right now, back to a life where you are pampered like a prince…"

Had the situation been different, Shuna might have found the old man's choice words ironically funny. But this was no laughing matter. "I can't do that! My people will die if I don't help them."

The old man ignored his words. "Give up on your silly yellow seeds." He told him. "You won't be able to get them anyway, not in the condition you want them anyway."

That caught Shuna's attention. "Do you know where the golden seeds might be, old man?"

The old man looked at Shuna for a moment before smiling. "I can't say I don't."

Shuna's heart began racing. Could he finally get the answers he was looking for? "Then please tell me." His voice was filled with determination. "I will go there best I can."

Once again, the old man looked at Shuna, considering if he should speak. At first Shuna feared that the old man wouldn't tell him, but then he laughed. "Very well. Hee, hee, hee… another trouble for your list then…" He chuckled and told the young prince what he wanted to know. "Go farther west. The land will eventually end in a precipice. Beyond that lies the place of the god men, where the moon is born and returns to die."

Shuna blinked. "God men?" This was the first time he heard of these beings. He knew that there were gods in the world, mostly in the forms of giant animals, but he had never heard of god men.

The old man nodded. "Once man had the golden seeds. It was something that man harvested, sewed, and brought to life, but now the god men have it. Now man sells out fellow man to the god men for dead seeds."

Shuna's eyes narrowed. "Why would they sell out other people? And why for dead seeds? Why not live ones?"

The old man shrugged. "Because that is what the god men give them. And no one ever goes into their domain to get any live seeds. The god men don't welcome the presence of man. No one that has ever gone to their land has returned."

"Why?"

The old man chuckled. "Hee, hee, hee… why indeed?" He stretched and curled into a ball. "It is your decision whether you go or not. Good luck with whatever you decide."

He spoke no more, and soon the only sounds he was making were soft snores. Shuna watched the old man sleep for a moment before he too joined him in slumber, deciding to ask the old man more on the subject in the morning.

But alas, when the rays of dawn woke Shuna, he discovered that the old man was gone, nowhere to be found.

"Damn, missed my chance." He muttered. He walked over to Yakul, and prepared the elk for travel. "Farther west, huh? At least I know where to go." He hopped on the elk's back. "Well, let's go find those seeds. But first, we have some unfinished business."

And so the two rode off. Not to the west, but to the east.

**(A/N: Slavery makes me sick. It's mostly because of these scenes that the story is rated 'T', but I'm trying to keep it true to the manga. How am I doing by the way? Your reply is just a click away.)**


	4. Chapter 4: The Raid

**(A/N: Next chapter, next chapter! It's Shuna to the rescue! I won't waste time talking, er, I mean, typing, so please enjoy.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 4: The Raid**

As active as the citadel was during the day, it was dead silent at night. The slave dealers were sleeping happily in their homes while the slaves slept in an even deeper sleep, exhausted from the day's work.

Good, that made it that much easier to sneak in, though the thick bolted gates were rather difficult to climb over. Still, Shuna managed to get inside and retrace his steps to the spot he had seen the two slave girls. But to his dismay, only the chains remained.

"No…" he whispered. "Where are they?"

He immediately began panicking, fearing that the slave dealer had decided to kill them for their defiance. The thought ignited his fury and he snuck in to the slave dealer's house. He found the man sleeping peacefully in his large bed. He noticed that the woman he had seen with the slave dealer wasn't present. Good, that would make things easier.

Unsheathing his sword and taking up his rifle, Shuna aggressively poked the slave dealer in the gut. "Wake up! Where are the two sisters!"

The slave dealer jumped awake, when the rifle poked him. He looked confused for a moment, but then his eyes focused on Shuna. "What the hell? Get out of my house, you little thief!"

Shuna pressed the blade of his sword to the man's throat. "Tell me what you did with those two girl's!"

The slave dealer's eyes widened as he recognized Shuna. "Y-You? What the are you doing here?"

Shuna glared at the man and pressed his sword harder into his throat, not enough to draw blood, but enough to get his message across. "Where are they? That's three times now, don't make it four!"

Fear and anger filled the slave dealer's eyes. "You bastard! Do you think you will get away with this!"

"I said don't make me ask you again!"

The slave dealer growled. "Or you'll do what? If you kill me, you'll never know."

Shuna angrily tossed away his sword and hit the slave dealer square in the jar. The force of the blow knocked the slave dealer out of the bed as he nursed his bloody lip.

"Oh, you are going to pay, boy!" he seethed. "You are so going to pay!"

He reached for his whip, which was resting on the nightstand, and turned to Shuna, bring it down. But Shuna moved quickly and grabbed the man's hand. He took hold of his fingers and bent them back. There was a sick cracking noise as the slave dealer's fingers were either broken or dislocated. He cried out in pain and dropped the whip.

Shuna then kicked the man hard in the gut, knocking him onto his back. He pressed his foot on the slave dealer's stomach and looked him right in the eye. "What did you do with them?"

The slave dealer growled and gave Shuna a dirty look. "I'm not telling you anything."

Shuna considered him for a moment before nodding. "Alright then." He removed his foot and stuck the rifle into the man's gut. "I'm going to count to three. If you don't tell me what you've done with them, I'm going to shoot you."

The slave dealer looked worried for a moment, but then he sneered. "You're bluffing."

"Want to bet?" Shuna asked. "They say that getting shot in the stomach is one of the slowest and most painful ways to die. I could very well shoot you and then wait until you talk before removing the bullet, but the longer you wait, the more pain you'll be in, and the chances of saving you before you die will continue to decrease."

Again, uncertainty filled the slave dealer's eyes, but he just shook his head. "Do it, if you can."

Shuna shrugged. "If you say so. One… two… three…"

He pulled the trigger and the slave dealer screamed. There was no gunshot, just a _click_.

Shuna glanced at his rifle. "I'm sorry, I forgot to turn off the safety." He switched it off, and looked back at the slave dealer, pleased to see the fear in his eyes. "Now then, let's try it again. One… two… three-"

"WAIT!" the slave dealer shouted. "Alright, I'll tell you! Just don't shoot me!"

Shuna nodded, but didn't remove the rifle. He was relieved the man caved in, or else he didn't know what he would do, because there was no way he was really going to shoot him. The trick about him 'forgetting' to turn off the safety was what had convinced the slave dealer that Shuna wasn't bluffing, even though he was. "Start talking!"

"I sold them!" the man cried. "I couldn't stand that girl's attitude anymore!"

"WHO DID YOU SELL THEM TO!" Shuna roared. If he had offered them as chambermaids to whoever he sold them to like he had with Shuna, then something might happen that Shuna would regret.

The slave dealer trembled with fear under Shuna's angry gaze. "I don't know! Just some guy that said he was heading south!"

That was all Shuna needed to hear. He hit the slave dealer over the head, knocking him out, so he wouldn't raise the alarm, and made his escape. He had to move fast if he wanted to catch whoever had taken the two girls.

"Hurry, Yakul! We have to catch them!"

Yakul ran like the wind, quickly closing the distance between them and the two sisters, or so Shuna hoped.

Hoping worked out for once as he soon spotted a slave wagon. Whether this was the one he was searching for or not didn't matter. He rode Yakul to the front and moved directly in their path.

The man at the reigns stopped the wagon and glared down at Shuna. "Out of the way, boy!"

Shuna didn't answer. Almost calmly, he pointed his rifle at the slave dealer and fired. The man fell dead from the wagon. The other slave dealers went for their weapons, but one by one, Shuna gunned each of them down until the last of them laid dead on the ground.

Taking a moment to calm his racing heart and to realize what he'd done, Shuna slowly climbed off Yakul and inspected the bodies until he found what he was looking for; a ring of keys. He went for the door on the side of the wagon and opened the door.

"It's ok, you're safe now!" he told the slaves. "Anyone who wishes to be free, though it means a lifetime of pursuit, come out now!"

He stepped back for the people to come out, expecting them to run cheering from their prison, but to his surprise, only two people exited the wagon. The two sisters he had been searching for.

The older sister looked at Shuna, the cold look in her eyes vanished as she stared at Shuna in disbelief. "You came back." She whispered.

Shuna nodded. "I couldn't leave you." He turned back to the other slaves. "Aren't you coming?"

He received only muttered responses, and no one approached.

"They won't come." The elder sister told him. "They've known nothing but slavery. They know the punishment for trying to escape. They're too scared."

Shuna frowned as he gave the slaves one last look. He turned to the two sisters and went to unlock the collars around their necks. "You have shunned against having your freedom bought for you." he told them. "You fought proudly for your freedom, and now you are free!"

The collars fell away. The younger sister felt her neck where the collar had been, looking amazed. Tears feared her eyes and she ran to Shuna and hugged him around his middle. "Thank you, mister! Thank you!"

Shuna smiled and patted her head. "You don't have to thank me. Such lives should never have been forced on you."

The little girl began to weep as she clung to Shuna. He looked at the older sister, not exactly sure what he should do with the crying child, but the older girl just smiled at the younger girl's display of affection. But the cold look appeared in her eyes again as she looked over Shuna's shoulder.

"We've got company." She growled.

Shuna turned around and saw, to his horror, man-hunters from the citadel upon the horizon. The slave dealer must awoken and told them what had happened. "Damn it, I should have hit him harder." He mumbled. "Let's go! We've gotta move!"

He helped the two girls onto Yakul before climbing on. The elk, seeming to realize the danger at hand, took off at a speed surprisingly fast for carrying three people.

"So who are you, anyway?" the older sister asked.

"Shuna." The young prince replied, as he kicked for Yakul to go faster. "What's your name?"

He received no reply from her, and he didn't press the matter, but the younger sister felt the need to speak.

"My name is Miya." She said.

Shuna nodded. "Well don't you worry, Miya. I'm not going to let anything happen to you or your sister."

The little girl nodded, and said nothing more. This wasn't exactly the time to get to know one another. And so hours went by without a single word being spoken.

"They're not trying to catch us." Said the older sister, breaking the long silence.

Shuna looked over his shoulder and realized that she was right. The man-hunters weren't trying to catch them. They were merely keeping up. They knew that Yakul couldn't go on for too long while carrying three people. They were just going to wait for him to tire out, and then take them.

'_Smart bastards.'_ Shuna thought as he urged Yakul to go faster.

But no matter how fast Yakul ran, the man-hunters were always right behind them. Even when their pursuers were no longer in sight, and it seemed as if they could rest for a while, the man-hunters soon began to catch up.

"Don't they ever quit?" Shuna wondered. "I can't believe they're so persistent."

"They were probably paid to come after us by the man you interrogated." The older sister replied.

Just then Miya began crying. "I don't want to go back to that bad man! Big brother Shuna, you said you wouldn't let anything happen to us!"

Shuna's eyes narrowed in determination. "I won't, I swear I'll protect you."

The older sister gave Shuna a curious look. "Why are you risking yourself for us anyway? You don't even know us."

Shuna just smirked. "Doesn't mean I still can't help you. You don't always need a reason to help someone, even if you don't know them. And I'm risking my life for you because I want to. Now hang on tight. Faster, Yakul!"

And so the chase continued. It went on all through the night. Shuna continued to ride Yakul as the two sisters slept. Never once did they stop, and never once did they slow down. Yet their pursuers continued to follow them.

Early the next morning, before the sun had even risen, the older sister woke to find Shuna walking in front of Yakul, giving the elk a break from his weight, and she gasped in disbelief. "You didn't sleep at all?" she asked.

Shuna gave her a smile, his exhaustion evident on his face. "Can't stop, or else they'll catch us. I made you and your sister a promise, and I intend to keep it."

The older girl looked at Shuna in awe. She hadn't met a single descent person since she and her sister had been taken by the man-hunters. All she had known was slavery. All that had mattered in life was trying to keep herself and her sister alive. Then suddenly this young man comes out of nowhere like a prince on a white steed to save them. Little did she know that the situation was very much like she was imagining.

"Where are you from?" she asked. "Certainly not from that damn city."

Shuna shook his head. "No, I come from a far away place. I've been searching to find these mysterious golden seeds I heard about."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Golden seeds?" She tapped her chin, thinking. "Now that you mention it, I have heard talk about some type of rare seeds. The slave dealers supposedly trade slaves that can no longer work for them. But why do you want them?"

Shuna considered his words carefully. "The land back at my country is dying. But I met a traveler that said that these seeds could rejuvenate the land. The seeds that the slave dealers get are already dead. I need to find live ones."

The girl once again looked amazed. "You've been searching for them this whole time?"

Shuna nodded. "Yeah, and I think I'm getting close. I was told to continue west and I would eventually reach the land of the god men where the seeds supposedly are."

"God men?" the girl repeated. "I haven't heard about them. What if it's not true? What if it's just a story?"

Shuna shrugged. "Then I'll die searching for them. I'll search my whole life if I have to!"

The girl spoke no more, but inside thoughts were swirling around in her. _'He's so selfless. I never thought I would meet anyone like him.'_

She looked up at the stars, a strange emotion filling her. She looked at Shuna and felt her heart rate increase. She felt like she wanted to say something to him. Something important, but she didn't know what.

"Take a look at that." Said Shuna.

The girl blinked, coming out of her thoughts. She looked in the direction Shuna was looking in and saw what appeared to be falling stars. Once they struck Earth, their shape changed to resemble little people, whose heads shined like stars and had bodies of fire in every color.

"What are they?" she asked.

"Dying stars." Shuna replied. "I've never seen them before, but there is a legend behind them. Those that catch a shooting star may make a contract with it. The star will take your heart and gift you with powers, while you gift the star with life. It's supposed to be a blessing and a curse."

The girl gave him a curious look, having never heard such a story. How far away was his country? "Where are you from?"

Shuna didn't answer. He was bound by law to keep his village a secret. He hoped she would accept that. "I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to speak of it. My people, they fear the outside world, and so they don't want anyone to know of their existence." He lowered his eyes. "And now I know why. There is much cruelty in the world, and my people didn't want themselves exposed to it." He sighed sadly. "I wasn't supposed to leave, but I had to or my people would die."

The girl just nodded. "That's very noble of you."

He gave her a sad smile. "Sorry I can't tell you more."

She shook her head. "We're all entitled to our own secrets. I won't force you to tell me anything. You can tell me when you're ready."

Shuna looked back at her and gave her a real smile. "Thank you."

She felt her heart jumped and smiled back. _'No, thank you.'_

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Two days had passed since Shuna had rescued Miya and her older sister. It was halfway into the night when Shuna pulled on Yakul's reigns for him to stop. Before them was a large precipice, just as the old man had said there would be. And it seemed to stretch on in all directions.

Since it was so dark out, Shuna had barely noticed the large drop before them until it was almost too late. The sudden stop woke the two girls as they stared at the precipice before them.

"Oh no!" the older sister cried. "What do we do now?"

Shuna looked over his shoulder. Though their pursuers were nowhere in sight, he knew that they were still on his trail. "Well, I guess we'll have to-"

But he didn't get a chance to finish before Yakul collapsed, breathing heavily. Foam seeped from his mouth as thirst and exhaustion overwhelmed him. Traveling for so long with three passengers on his back had been too much.

"Not good." Shuna muttered, hopping of the elk's back. He took up his rifle and turned in the direction he knew the man-hunters were coming in.

The older sister took out a rag and wipe the foam from Yakul's mouth while Miya pet him. "He can't go on like this." she said. "It's going to kill him if he continues on like this."

Shuna didn't reply, but he knew the girl was right. Yakul couldn't possibly continue carrying them in this condition. And the man-hunters were still hot on their trail.

'_Damn it, I guess it's come to this.'_

He turned to the girls and calmly walked over to the elder sister. "You'll have to go on your own from here."

She gave him a surprised look. "What?"

"Yakul can still run with just the two of you." he explained. He glanced back at the directions the man-hunters were coming from. "I will stay here to hold them of."

"No way!" the older girl cried. "We can't just leave you here! We have to stick together! And even if you do beat them, then what are you going to do out here all by yourself? We can't just leave!"

Shuna shook his head. "Once I've taken care of the trackers, I plan to head straight to the land of the god men."

"We'll come with you!"

Miya nodded. "Big brother Shuna, please don't leave us." She begged.

Shuna gave the little girl a small smile. "It's just for a little while." He looked back at the older sister. "You've got Miya to think about. Don't worry about me. Just get to safety."

The older sister looked at Miya then turned back to Shuna. She looked like she was going to argue some more, but realized that it would be pointless and lowered her eyes to the ground. Finally she looked up at him, more determine. "If you return from there, please keep heading north. We will be waiting for you there, always."

Shuna nodded. "I'll be sure to see you there."

Tears started spilling down Miya's cheeks. "I don't want you to go!"

The older girl hugged her sister. "Don't worry, he'll be back before you know it." She looked at Shuna again. "Thea."

Shuna blinked. "Sorry, what?"

"Thea." She repeated. "My name is Thea."

Shuna smiled. "I'll see you soon, Thea. And you too, Miya. I promise."

The little girl nodded and hugged him again. Then Thea hugged him as well and surprised him by kissing his cheek. "Don't keep us waiting too long." She whispered to him.

The three of them remained silent as Shuna gave them half his food and water. Then the two girls and Yakul were off, stopping only once to wave goodbye. Shuna waved back and watched as they vanished in the distance.

"At least they'll be safe." He whispered. His eyes narrowed as he turned back to the direction of the man-hunters. "Now, time to get to work."

He knew he had very little time and so he began digging goat traps he had learned at his village. He built several small mountains from small stones at the very edge of the precipice, setting gun cartridges in them

"I hope this works." he whispered. "Otherwise I'll be in real trouble."

Once his traps were set, he dug himself a hole in the sand to hide in. There was nothing left to do now but wait, wait and hope he got through this alive.

It wasn't long before the ground began to tremble as the man-hunters approached. Shuna held his breath as he watched one by one as the men passed by his hiding place.

'_Come on, just a little further.'_ He thought anxiously. _'THERE!'_

The last man-hunter entered the trap area and Shuna jumped from his hiding place, firing his rifle. Each bullet hit one of his traps, creating a fiery explosion that frightened the beasts the man-hunters rode. Startled by the blasts, the beasts didn't notice the precipice before them in the darkness of night and went plummeting over the edge. Both man and beast cried out as they fell down, down, down, to their hopefully merciful deaths.

Once the last of their screams faded away, Shuna carefully crept out of his hiding place and peered over the edge. All he saw was black. No bodies, not bottom, just darkness.

Shuna fell to his knees, feeling the guilt of having taken their lives creep up on him. He hated killing, it was only and always a last resort, but these men had endangered his life. His along with Thea and Miya's. If he didn't kill them, they would have killed him and the girls, and in less merciful way.

"Forgive me." he said. "I wish things could have been different."

Almost in response to his words, the light of a hundred moons in one engulfed him. Startled, Shuna looked up and nearly fell off the precipice in shock. There was a large face in the sky, one that resembled the moon when it was full. A body made of light trailed behind it as it flew overhead. It reminded him somewhat of the dying stars he and Thea had seen the other night.

"The moon spirit." He whispered in awe.

The moon spirit flew past Shuna, leaving a trail of light behind as it faded further and further away in the distance. Then it suddenly vanished from sight, and for a split second, the cliff floated up in shadow.

"The land where the moon is born and returns to die." He whispered, repeating the old man's words. "The land of the god men… I found it."

**(A/N: Hee, hee, did you notice the bit of **_**'Howl's Moving Castle' **_**I snuck in. Gotta keep your eyes open for those little sneak ins. Oh, I would like to apologize to anyone who was disturbed by Shuna's 'interrogating' of the slave dealer at the beginning. I'm really not into torture, but I'm trying to stay true to the manga, and it did say that he 'used for' to get the truth from him. Onto a happier note, it seems as if Thea has a thing for her rescuer. He's quite literally the prince coming to rescue the damsel in distress. How will things progress from here? If you read the manga, you would have some idea. If you haven't, the next chapter will be up soon. Shuna has found the land of the god men. Now he just has to get there.)**


	5. Chapter 5: The Land of the God Men

**(A/N: Do things seem to be going by too fast? I told you the manga wasn't too long. I'm trying to be really detailed. This chapter was rather hard to write, but I still managed it. The mystery of the god men and the golden seeds is about to be revealed. But if you read the manga, you would already know the secret.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 5: The Land of the God Men**

When dawn approached, Shuna looked out to where he had seen the moon spirit vanish. He saw nothing and, but knew that it was there. A thick cloud of dust hid it from view, hiding it from anyone that may look in its direction.

Shuna sighed and looked down the cliff. It was a _very_ long drop. Even in daylight, he couldn't see the bottom. If he fell, it was all over.

"Well, I came this far." He muttered to himself, and began climbing down the cliff.

It was very difficult at first, but the farther down he got, the easier it became. It was almost as if the climb and been carved into, giving him room to find his footing and get a grip. And when he looked up, he realized that it _had_ been carved into. Large carvings of gods had been etched into the cliff. Shuna didn't recognize any of the deities. Were they merely gods that he had never heard of, or were they long forgotten, lost from history?

'_It's almost as if they're helping me.'_ he thought, as he stepped onto the carving of a giant hand.

All day he continued his descent. When he reached the carvings of the gods' feet, he discovered that the cloud that hid the land of the god men from view was right beneath him. And once he entered it, most of the light vanished until it was as if night had settled in, making it that much more difficult to climb.

'_I won't be able to see a thing when the sun actually goes down.'_ He thought.

He wasn't sure how long he climbed before his feet finally hit solid ground. At first he had thought that he had reached the bottom, but then he realized that this was not ground he was standing on at all. These were bones. Enormous bones all piled on top of each other. And not just any bones, but the bones of dragons.

"What happened here?" he wondered out loud.

He looked down and saw that he still couldn't see the bottom. But at least he could scale down the piles of bones rather than cling to the side of the cliff.

But it was beginning to get even darker. Shuna looked up and realized that the sun must have been setting above the cloud of dust. Soon he wouldn't be able to see an inch in front of his face.

"Can't continue anymore tonight if I can't see where I'm going." He murmured as he settled himself into a comfortable position on the large bones. "Guess I'll spend the night here and continue tomorrow."

Drained from the long climb down, Shuna fell asleep almost instantly. He dreamed of his kingdom, of his people happy and healthy once more. Thea and Miya were there too, waving happily to him as he approached.

"_Big brother, Shuna! Big brother Shuna!" the younger sister shouted, rushing to hug him._

_He picked the young girl up and carried her over her sister. Thea crossed her arms and cut her eyes at him. "You certainly took your time coming back."_

_Shuna just smiled as a hand rested in his shoulder. He turned to find Grandma Kaya smiling down at him. "Well done, child. Our people are safe once again." She gave Thea a knowing look. "And I see I was right. You did find yourself a lady friend."_

"_Grandma Kaya!"_

It was indeed a happy time. But alas, dreams were not real, and soon Shuna had to open his eyes and face reality once more. But hopefully, he would be able to turn his dream into a reality.

"Gotta get down from here first."

With a sigh, he began his descent once more. This time it was easier since he could climb down the dragon bones. And was it just his mind playing tricks on him, or was it beginning to get brighter the further down he went.

"Must be my imagination."

But he was wrong, he soon discovered. There was light at the bottom, and they were in the form of crystals. Just where the pile of dragon bones ended, began wall of crystals that caught the little amount of light and reflected it off each other, illumination the valley.

The crystals provided good footholds and good gripping areas to hold onto. The seemingly endless wall seemed to go down forever and Shuna wondered if this place had really been naturally made. It seemed to have different layers. First came the plan rock cliff, then the carved statues of the unknown gods, then a large pile of dragon bones, and now a wall of crystals. What would he find once he reached the end of the crystal wall?

Nothing. That's what there was. The end of the crystal wall signaled the end of his long descent. Relieved that the climb was finally over, his relief turned to surprise when felt his feet hit soft sand. He turned around and his mouth fell open in shock as he looked at the sight before him.

"How is this possible…?" he murmured. "It's the ocean."

Before him rested a raging sea, separating him from the land of the god men. He never expected to run into this problem. How was he supposed to get to the land of the god men now? He couldn't exactly take a boat, and he had just spent two days climbing down the cliff.

"Now what?" he wondered out loud.

He heard the words of the old man ring through his memory, _'Give up on your silly yellow seeds'._ Had he known that the land of the god men was on another island that seemed impossible to get to? Why hadn't he told him? Was it an old man's cruel joke?

Slowly walking into the water, Shuna took a handful of the cold bitter water and washed his hands and face. Then looked back out at the land of the god men and, filled with great despair and depression.

"It's not fair!" he shouted. "How am I supposed to get there from here?"

In his despair, he felt all his strength leave him and he collapsed. He was done for the day. He didn't have the strength, physically or mentally, to continue anymore for today. Despair filled him as he half fell asleep, half lost conscious.

That night, he didn't dream.

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Something wet brought Shuna out of his sleep. He opened his eyes to find himself half submerged in warm water. He sat up in surprise and looked around. The tide had come in, covering the small shore he had been sleeping on. The water was calm now, and the area was much brighter.

"What the…?" he whispered, looking at the now peaceful water.

It wasn't how calm and relaxed the water had become that surprised him. No, he was shocked by what was in the water. There were strange sea creatures of different species swimming around freely. Some Shuna had never seen before, and some were ones that had gone extinct millions of years ago, though they seemed to be pretty alive right now.

'_Am I dead?'_ he briefly, then shook his head. _'No, I'm still alive. That must mean that these species are really still alive.'_

As his eyes took in all the strange creatures, something that made him gasp caught his attention. There was a sandbar leading from the shore that went out into the ocean. Shuna followed the path with his eyes and saw that it went all the way to the land of the god men.

"They're connected." He whispered. "Well I'll be damned. It looks like my luck is changing."

He walked along the sandbar, eyeing the supposed to be extinct creatures around him, worried that they might attack. But they barely paid him any mind as he walked past them.

He received an even bigger surprise when he reached the land of the god men. The island was full of life. Greenery covered every inch of the land, many of the plants being kinds that Shuna had never even heard of. There were also other strange animals here that Shuna didn't recognize. Many of them were, once again, species that should have been long dead. He even recognized some creatures that had supposedly died out before even the dinosaurs had walked the earth. While they had been lost in evolution, this place seemed to be a sanctuary for all of them.

He was also surprised by how friendly the animals were with each other. Meat eaters and plant eaters alike were sitting side by side, no hostility whatsoever. He watched as a giant blue-eyed insect, that he was petty sure was called an Ohmu, played with a family of fox-squirrels. The species here seemed not to care who or what their fellow animals were and got along peacefully with each other.

Shuna took a deep breath, breathing in the clean fresh air. "What a rich and peaceful world this is." He sighed.

He sat down on a rock and was surprised when it jumped. Then, to his shock, the rock turned into a raccoon-dog. It regarded him curiously for a moment before running several feet away and turning into a bush.

Shuna blinked. "A transforming raccoon-dog. I didn't know they were real."

A rattling noise caught his attention and he turned to see a little tree spirit watching him.

"A Kodama?" he muttered before smiling. "Figures they would be in a place like this." He bent down so he was somewhat eyelevel with the little spirit. "Hey, little guy. Do you think you can tell me-" The tree spirit vanished before he could question it about the golden seeds. "Hey wait!"

More rattling came. Shuna looked up and saw several other Kodama sitting in the trees, watching him. Shuna sighed and began climbing. But the moment he reached them, they all disappeared.

"Again." he mumbled, though he wasn't able to hide the smile that crept up over his face. "Guess I can't ask them."

Up here in the tree was actually very peaceful. Shuna shrugged and decided to have something to eat while he admired the view. A few animals gathered around as he ate, curious about who and what he was, for they probably never saw a human before.

Shuna smiled at a strange squirrel like creature that got particularly close. "Don't worry, I won't bite." He told it.

He looked back out at the rich green land before him and saw what appeared to be a large cat with several legs hopping along treetops. It had several holes in its body, almost as if they were windows. The cat came to a stop and one of the holes expanded, allowing several large rabbit-like creatures to exit its body.

Shuna did a double take. "Are those Totoro? I thought only kids could see them." He looked around. "I wonder what other kind of creatures are around here."

Climbing out of the tree, he began exploring, seeing the amazing land and bazaar plants and animals. There were even _dinosaurs_ here. Shuna began to think that nothing would surprise him on this island.

"It's a perfect sanctuary." He whispered in awe. "There's no threat at all from anything." He cocked his head to the side as he watched a saber-tooth tiger walk right by an animal he had never seen before. Neither one gave any indication of a threat. "I wonder what they do for food."

Suddenly, almost in response, the animals' heads all perked up. They appeared to be listening to something. Then, almost simultaneously, they began walking away, all heading in the same direction. Shuna watched them go, wondering what was going on.

"Where are they going?" he wondered aloud, and went after them.

He soon heard what the animals had picked up. Heavy footsteps of a large creature stomping through the forest could be heard. They got louder as Shuna continued to follow the animals. Soon he saw what was making the noise and skidded to a halt.

Before him was a large man. A green giant that calmly walked in silence through the forest. It was this giant that all the animals were going after. They followed the man like pets waiting to be fed by their master.

"So that's a god man." Shuna whispered.

He went to get a better look, but then stopped when he remembered that humans were not welcome on this land. He couldn't let himself be seen by the god men, but that still didn't stop him from watching the green giant as it walked through the forest, swaggering as it went.

They eventually came to an open field, and here the giant paused. It swayed on its feet for a moment before falling backwards. Once it collapsed, all the animals that had been following it moved in. Shuna watched in horror as they began eating at the fallen god man's body. He looked away, unable to continue looking at the animals feed.

"Guess I just figured out what they do for food." He said, feeling nauseous.

He risked peaks every now and then as the animals continued to eat. When they finally cleared away, the god man's body was gone, completely devoured. Not a scrap of flesh, piece of bone, or drop of blood had been wasted.

Soon more footsteps were heard. Shuna turned around and came face to face with another god man. He felt himself freeze in fear as the giant's pure white eyes fell upon him. The god men merely glanced at him then continued on its journey as if it didn't have a care in the world. It had a peaceful look on its face, and didn't seem to care that Shuna was even there.

Something dripped in front of Shuna, and he his gaze shifted to the drop. The dark green liquid was dripping from a wound on the god man's chest as it walked by him, a crowd of animals following it, heading for the same field the last god man had fallen.

Shuna's eyes widened in understanding. "He's going there to die…" he whispered. The thought made him shudder. The god man didn't seem to care in the least that it was hurt, or that it was about to die and have its body eaten by the island inhabitants.

Unable to watch the animals' feeding again, he walked away, heading deeper into the forest. As he walked further in, he saw more and more god men pass by. None of them paid Shuna any mind, and they all seemed to be wounded in some way; each of them heading towards what Shuna now referred to as their dying ground.

"They're all dying." He realized. "But why?"

He walked deeper into the forest until he came across a clearing. Here the land was bare, and the ground was covered in what appeared to be well-cultivated waterways. And in the middle of this bare area was a large strange building-like mass, towering over the land. Shuna had never seen anything like it and wondered what it was.

"What is this thing?" he wondered, slowly approaching the structure. It looked almost as if someone had taken random pieces of claw and piled them up to create an almost rectangle shaped fortress, whose outer appearance resembled the grooves along a brain, covered in what appeared to be large amber jewels placed in random places.

He reached out and touched it, and was surprised to find that it had a strange elastic feel to it when he had expected it to fell like metal or stone.

"Can I get inside here?" he wondered.

He walked along the bottom, but the only way in he saw were holes around the structure that led to the waterways. It was dark inside, and a sweet smell was coming from within it. He began to enter one of the holes, but froze when he took a single step. Every hair on his body rose in fear, and his heart began beating rapidly. Something was wrong here. Very, very wrong. He knew it, he could feel it. And that was when he heard it. This large structure was _breathing_. It wasn't a structure at all. It was some kind of _animal_.

Spinning around, Shuna ran as fast as he could back into the forest and found a hiding place, preparing to shoot anything that came near him.

"That damn thing is _alive!_" he cried. "What the hell is it? I've never heard of any creature like that!"

Too afraid to move, Shuna just stayed where he was, watching the strange animal, wondering what it was and what it was doing. He wondered if perhaps the creature was nocturnal, and was merely sleeping. He waited until the sun went down, wondering if the creature was going to do anything. But it just remained where it was, just as it had throughout the day.

Then a familiar light appeared. Shuna looked up and saw the moon spirit flying overhead. It seemed to be coming in for a landing as it got closer. But it never did land. Instead, it settled directly over the large structure and hovered over it.

"What's it doing?" Shuna whispered.

He watched as something began pouring out of the moon spirit's mouth. His own mouth dropped open as he realized what they were. They were bodies! Bodies of people, humans! And not just any humans, but the slaves that he had seen back at the citadel. The moon spirit was _feeding_ the strange structure dead bodies of people!

Shuna put his hand over his mouth, feeling as if he was going to be sick. He remembered what the old man had told him about man selling out fellow man for the dead golden seeds. So this was how it was done.

When the last body fell into the structure, the light of the moon spirit faded away, but it continued to hover over the large structure, which had begun to shake. Shuna wasn't sure how long he watched, but he soon saw bright blue liquid that glowed with great illumination pour out of the holes in the large structure, into the waterways that covered the bare land.

Shuna raised an eyebrow, not sure what was happening. Was that liquid the structure-like creature's excretions or something?

The bright blue liquid became choppy, and something began rising out of it. Shuna watched in disbelief as newly born god men stood up and stepped out of the waterways.

The god men spread out across the bare field and began spitting small gold objects out of their mouths. Shuna realized a moment later that what they were actually spitting out were the golden seeds he had been searching so long for. He watched in amazement as the god men worked all night, sucking up the bright blue liquid and spraying it all over the field.

The sun finally began to come up, and the golden seeds had already begun sprouting. And by midday, the seeds began to open.

"Oh my god…" Shuna whispered. "I get it now. It's a sick twisted circle that allows this place to be the way it is."

It was strange how such a paradise was made off of the blood of humans. But he finally understood the horror of it all. The slave dealers sacrificed slaves to the moon spirit, and in return, the mood spirit gave them dead seeds. Then it carried the bodies here to the land of the god men and fed them to the strange structure-like creature. Then the strange structure gave birth to the god men. And the god men used their own life force to create the golden seeds, which nurtured the land. But doing so began to break down their bodies, and so they all went into the forest to die, where the animals fed off their bodies. Then the moon spirit gathered up the seeds and went back to the slave dealers to trade them for more sacrifices. It was no wonder the moon spirit only gave the slave dealers dead seeds and why humans weren't allowed here, because if humans were ever able to get their hands on live golden seeds, they would be able to harvest and grow their own. And so, the moon spirit would receive no more sacrifices, and the strange structure would receive no more food to be able to create the god men, which nurtured the land and fed the animals. And so this place would slowly die, and all the animals that should have died with evolution will join the rest of their kind in death.

Shuna hung his head. "I don't believe it." he muttered. Then gasped as he received another shock. "What the hell!"

His rife was rusted to the point where it was useless. There was even plant life growing on it. His clothes and knife were in the same condition, even though it had only been half a day.

'_This is very creepy.'_ He thought, feeling unnerved by everything he had seen and learned.

Tossing the useless rife away Shuna began creeping towards the fields of grain, which had already ripened with color. "This is it. I can't wait any longer. Time passes differently here. I have to gets the seeds and leave."

He carefully approached the fields again, getting no closer than what was necessary. He reached over one of the waterways and grabbed one of the golden grains. The moment his fingers touched the grain, the god men began screaming and writhing about. Shuna couldn't tell if they're wails were of great sadness or great pain.

Then he heard it. A loud voice that seemed to come from every direction. His ears rang as the voice cried out, "Don't! Don't!"

Shuna didn't know who was calling to him. Was it one of the god men, the strange structure-like creature, or perhaps the moon spirit? But it was clear that whoever or whatever was shouting didn't want him to take the grain. He knew why too. If man could harvest the grain, then the moon spirit's sacrifices would stop, as would the strange structure's food source.

'_I'm sorry,'_ he thought, ignoring the voice, _'but my people need this!'_

His fingers closed around the golden grain, and he plucked it.

Unimaginable pain filled him the moment the grain had been plucked. His entire body, straight down to his bones, shook with a violent shock, almost as if he had been struck by lightning, only the feeling was a lot more painful.

Teeth clenched tightly to fight against the phantom pain, Shuna held the grain tightly to his chest and ran. He wasn't sure how far. He didn't even know where he was running to. The pain was unimaginable. It was so intense that it made him dizzy and made it difficult to see straight.

How long he ran, he never knew, time seemed to run together. But in what seemed like no time at all, and also an eternity, his feet were no longer on solid ground. His eyes flickered open and he saw that he had run straight off a cliff, and was heading towards the open ocean. The water was thrashing about violently as if the sea itself had become enraged by what Shuna had done.

He splashed into the cold dark depths and everything went dark.

**(A/N: A very dark and surprising turn of events. I sure as heck didn't expect anything like this to happen when I read the manga. A perfect paradise that acts as a sanctuary to the plants and animals lost through evolution. Would be nice if it didn't feed off the lives of people. So, who noticed the Ghibli connections in this chapter? There were quite a few of them, and I did make them rather obvious. Stay tuned to see what happens to Shuna.)**


	6. Chapter 6: Thea

**(A/N: Poor Shuna. What happened to him? Last chapter certainly left us at a cliffhanger; almost literally. But let's not forget about Thea and little Miya. How did they do on their own? All your answers will be coming now.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 6: Thea**

A year. It had been nearly a year since Thea and her little sister had arrived in this poor village in the north. Poor it may be, but it was also safe from the slave dealers. But they were still worked like slaves. The only difference was that now they were paid for their services, and their lives didn't depend on it, nor were they 'punished'.

After arriving in the small village on Yakul, the two sisters had taken up residence in the house of an old woman known as Grandma Sayuka. She had lost her hired help, but was all too happy to take in the two girls as long as they worked.

It didn't take long to figure out why all her workers quit. There was never any end to the workload the old woman gave them, and she was very harsh and strict. She wasn't cruel or mean, but she wasn't the nicest person in the world either. Her attitude constantly kept Thea and Miya on their toes, but they happily did as the old woman requested of them. They were hard workers that handled everything the old woman threw at them.

It wasn't just the old woman though. Nearly everyone in the village seemed to be rude and cold. It was a result of living in such poor conditions. But the people still welcomed Thea and Miya into their village, assuring them that they were safe from the sadistic slave dealers, for they despised such people. And it wasn't long before the two sisters' hard work earned them the respect of the other people, though Grandma Sayuka, in her bitter old age, was harder to please than most.

Finally another month ended, which meant things would settle down for a while. The two girls welcomed the break, and they went and cuddled up together with Yakul in the shed the three of them slept in.

"Thea, when's big brother Shuna coming back?" Miya asked.

A familiar phantom pain stabbed at Thea's heart every time Shuna's name was mentioned. She and Miya were still waiting for the courageous young man to return to them. Thea would very well wait the rest of her life if she had to, but she had thought that he would have come to them by now; it had been nearly a year.

She offered her sister a small smile. "I don't know, Miya. But he said he would come back, and I believe him."

Miya fell silent for a moment. "But, what if he never comes back? What if something happened to him?"

Thea's hand unconsciously moved over her heart as she felt it clench painfully. She too had similar thoughts that something may have happened to him. Every time, each thought caused her to fall into a pit of sadness and depression. She tried to avoid such negative thoughts, but her mind always drifted to Shuna.

On several occasions, she had considered going to the precipice she had last seen him and try to find him. She would go to the land of the god men if she could. But no, she couldn't leave. What could she do that he couldn't? And besides, she needed to stay with Miya. The little girl needed her.

"He'll be ok." Thea assured her sister. "Just think about how surprised he will be when he sees how much you've grown. And when he gets back, you can give him a big hug."

Miya nodded and curled up in the hay. "I hope he comes back soon." She said sadly, and was soon asleep.

Thea managed to smile sadly. "So do I, Miya, so do I."

That night she couldn't sleep. Something was bothering her and making her feel uneasy. She heart clenched painfully, the same way it did every time she thought that something bad may have happened to Shuna. But tonight it was worse than ever. And she wasn't the only one. Yakul seemed to know that something was wrong too, and was equally as restless.

Getting up, Thea went over to the elk and began petting him. "So, you feel it too." she said sadly. "Then it's not just me. Something's not right."

She closed her eyes and buried her face in Yakul's fur, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

That as when she heard it. It was Shuna's voice calling for help. She didn't exactly hear it with her ears, but she still somehow heard him, and she _knew_ it was Shuna.

Rushing over to Miya, Thea quickly shook the small girl awake. "Miya, wake up!"

The little girl's eyes flickered open and she stared at her sister with tired eyes. "Thea… what's wrong?"

There was no time to explain. "Miya, I have to go away for a little bit. You stay here and be safe, ok?"

Miya's sleepy mind slowly made sense of what her sister was saying. "Where are you going?"

Thea shook her head, not knowing how to explain. "I'll tell you everything later, just promise you'll stay here."

The little girl slowly nodded. "Ok, be careful."

Thea nodded. "I will." She kissed her sister's forehead. "I love you. Now go back to sleep."

Not even bothering to saddle up Yakul, Thea jumped right on the elk's back and the two rode off. She didn't know where she was going, but she somehow knew that this was the right way. She was letting instinct and her heart guide her. Yakul didn't seem to have any complaints with where they were going, which only encouraged Thea even more.

The two reached the border of the village, and that's when they spotted someone. Whoever they were, they were slowly walking down the paths as if in a daze. From the looks of it, they were heading for the uninhabited badlands.

"SHUNA!" Thea called, pulling Yakul to stop.

The person stopped walking. They slowly turned towards Thea and the young woman gasped. Shuna's clothes were torn and dirty. His hair was a mess and his body was covered in multiple scraps and bruises. But what really surprised her was the look on his face. An emotionless mask was in replace of his handsome features and his eyes were devoid of all life. Had he not been walking around, anyone that would have looked into his eyes would have thought that he was dead. There seemed to be no will to live in the boy at all.

"Oh my god, Shuna…" Thea whispered. She jumped off Yakul and hurried over to him. She wanted desperately to wrap her arms around him, but she was too afraid of hurting him. "Shuna, what happened to you?"

He didn't answer her. In fact, he gave no indication that he even knew that she was there, save for the fact that he was looking at her. His dead eyes looked at her worried face, seeing her, but his mind registered nothing.

Thea took his arm and led him over to Yakul. "Come on, I'll take care of you."

At first the elk looked happy to see his master, but then he seemed to realize that something was wrong. He nuzzled Shuna, but the young prince didn't respond in any way. This worried Thea greatly and she wondered what happened to him.

She helped him onto Yakul and they rode off back to the village she had been staying in. "Don't worry, Shuna, I won't let anything happen to you ever again."

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Miya woke to the sound of her sister returning. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Thea, you're back."

That's when she noticed the other person her sister had with her. It took a moment to recognize him in the condition he was in, but Miya soon realized who it was.

"Big brother Shuna!" she cried happily.

Thea held put her hand to stop the little girl from throwing herself at Shuna. "He's not well." She explained. "Let's get him to the fire."

She helped him off the elk, but once she brought him over to the fire he pulled away and rushed over to the darkest corner of the shed. Here he curled up into a fetal position and refused to budge, no matter what Thea and Miya tried to get him to come closer.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Miya, tearfully.

Thea shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. She slowly approached him and sat down in front of him. "Shuna, what happened to you?"

He looked at her, not seeming to understand her words. It was like speaking to an animal; he heard her but he didn't know what she was saying.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked. She motioned for Miya to come closer. "How about her? Do you know who we are?"

No sign of recognition appeared on Shuna's face. Thea and Miya tried everything they could think of, but it seemed as if Shuna had lost everything, his memories and even his emotions.

"You must be hungry." Thea whispered.

She retrieved some food and handed it to him, reminded of how they had first met back in the citadel. Shuna snatched the food out of her hand and began wolfing it down like a starved animal. Seeing the poor boy in this condition brought back the pain in Thea's heart and filled her eyes with tears.

"Oh, Shuna." She whispered. She went to him and embraced him. Shuna let her hold him as he continued to eat. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you. I promise."

Miya's bottom lip began to tremble. "Thea!" she cried, worried about Shuna.

"Shh." Thea shushed quietly. "Go back to sleep. I'll take care of him."

"But-"

"No buts, Miya. Shuna wouldn't want you worrying yourself like this. Now go to sleep."

Miya looked like she wanted to argue, but she just frowned and got back into her sleeping spot. "Will big brother Shuna be ok?"

Thea nodded, hoping she wasn't lying. "Yes, he'll be fine." She looked into Shuna's dirty face, and realized that he had fallen asleep. "I'll spend the rest of my life taking care of him if I have to."

She carefully laid him down then left the shed. She returned a moment later with a needle and thread. Carefully, so she wouldn't wake him, she peeled off his clothes and began to mend them. She didn't know what had happened to him. Who could do something like this? He had lost everything, straight down to the shoes on his feet. All he had left were the torn rags she was trying to sew back together.

At least that's what she thought. She found in his possession a small brown bag. Taking the bag, she carefully opened it and a warm feeling rose in her chest. Tears filled her eyes again as she looked on in wonder at the golden seeds Shuna had been so desperately searching for.

She looked at Shuna's sleeping form, smiling slightly and whispered, "You found them."

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Thea and Miya told no one of Shuna's presence. Everyday, Thea would split her food with him, and everyday all he would do was squat in the corner, eat, and sleep.

Winter came and went, and still there was no sign of improvement in Shuna's health. But Thea stayed by his side and took care of him with complete devotion. And finally, one morning in late spring, she led Shuna outside. She led him around, but made sure to keep him out of sight of anyone, especially Grandma Sayuka. She didn't want anyone to know that he was here, and made sure Miya said nothing to no one.

Taking up a plough, Thea began to make a small hideaway for Shuna to stay in. She didn't think it would be good for him to stay cooped up in the shed all the time, and now that the season was warming, it would be ok for him to stay outside.

Every morning, Thea would wake up earlier than anyone else and visit Shuna. She snuck food to him everyday, even though it meant less for her. She didn't care, not as long as Shuna was all right.

"Thea!" Grandma Sayuka cried. "Where does all the food disappear to all the time?"

Thea just shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we have rats."

"Rats? Rats!" the old woman cried. "These are not rats! Someone is _stealing_ my food!"

Thea ignored the old woman's complaints. She was used to them by now. She just had to work even harder to make up for Shuna's portion. And during the night, she would stay up late to weave new clothes for him. She didn't complain once.

She noticed that not once did Shuna make an attempt to plant the golden seeds he had so desperately been searching for. He simply clutched the bag protectively to his chest. Thea was very patient with him and showed him time and again how to plant the golden seeds. But every night, Shuna would dig them up and return them to the pouch.

No progress seemed to be made, with Shuna's health or the seeds. Thea was exhausted almost all the time, but all she needed to do was look at the small light of the fire from Shuna's hideaway, and she felt completely rejuvenated and filled with renewed strength and determination.

Miya did all that she could to help, but being so young and small, the only thing she could really do was gather firewood for Shuna. Though Shuna was in the same condition he was in, though physically much healthier, when Thea had found him, Miya believed her sister when she told her that Shuna would be back to normal in no time.

Finally, one morning, Thea returned to Shuna's hideaway and found him, not crouched inside like he always was, but kneeling down in front of the small garden in front of his hideaway. For once, he had not dug up the golden seeds that had been planted the previous day. He continued to watch the ground, and slowly, all at once, the golden seeds sprouted out of the ground.

That day, two miracles happened. The first was that Thea heard Miya laugh for the first time since their homeland had been ravaged by the man-hunters. Not once had the little girl laughed or shouted out happily since that dreadful day. Now here she was, singing and dancing happily upon seeing the golden seeds beginning to grow.

The second miracle, which was just as precious to Thea as hearing her sister laugh, was the small smile that appeared on Shuna's face. And from that day on, that small shadow of a smile remained on his face.

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It was during the summer solstice when Grandma Sayuka pulled Thea aside. She had come to a decision and was about to inform the young woman of what she decided.

"I need to have a word with you." she grumbled, dragging the elder sister away from Miya.

"Is there a problem, ma'am?" Thea asked.

"As a matter of fact, there is!" Grandma Sazuka snapped. "You're of age to be wed off, and I want another strong working hand."

Thea's mouth dropped open in shock. This had been unexpected. "W-What? You want me to get m-m-married?"

The old woman narrowed her eyes. "That's what getting wed off means! Now listen up, there are plenty of single hardworking men in the village. Choose one of them. I don't really care which, just make sure they're a good worker."

"But I don't want to get married!" Thea protested.

"I don't care!" Grandma Sayuka snapped. "If you don't like it, you're out of my house. You're old enough to get married now, and I could use more help around here. A good strong man will be useful. Are you telling me that you never want to settle down and start a family of your own?"

Thea shook her head. "No, I do, but I don't love any of those men."

Her mind drifted to Shuna. It wasn't exactly true. There was someone she loved with all her heart, but Grandma Sayuka didn't even know that he existed, let that he was practically living with them, and that she was in love with him. The thought of being with anyone besides Shuna tore at her heart, but she knew that the old woman wouldn't accept Shuna while he was in his current state.

Grandma Sayuka snorted. "Bah, love. Who cares if you don't love any of them? I didn't love my husband when I was forced to get married. But you know what, over time I did begin to love him. We were very happy together, and remained deeply in love. It will be the same way with you. You need a man. Choose a good strong one, then work on your love life."

Thea shook her head. "I will not marry someone I don't love!" she shouted.

The old woman pointed a wrinkly old finger at her. "Then you can get out of my house now, and take your sister with you!"

Thea tensed up. She and Miya needed a place to stay while they took care of Shuna. Sure, if it was just the two of them, they could probably make it on their own, but not while they had Shuna to take care of as well.

Slowly Thea hung her head in defeat. This was the cruelest the old woman had ever been to her. And she was giving her no choice.

Eyes narrowed in determination, Thea looked up at the old woman. "Fine, but I have one request?"

Grandma Sayuka raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Thea took a deep breath. "I want to give my suitors a test. I'll marry the one that passes."

Grandma Sayuka narrowed her eyes. "Very well, as long as the test is not impossible."

Thea nodded. "It's not impossible. It's been done before."

The old woman nodded. "Very well, then lets get you ready."

Thea looked confused. "What, right now?"

"Of course now! Why wait?"

And so Grandma Sayuka dressed Thea in her best clothes from her youth as she sent out a message to all the single men in the village. While the two prepared, Miya wandered into the room, wondering what was going on.

"Thea, why are you wearing that?" she asked.

Grandma Sayuka smirked. "Because today is a very important day for your sister."

Miya cocked her head to the side. "What's so important about today?"

Grandma Sayuka was about to answer, but Thea held up her hand to stop her. "She's my sister. I'll explain it to her."

The old woman shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Thea waited a few moments, but the old woman remained where she was.

"Do you mind if I speak to her in private?"

Grandma Sayuka's eyes narrowed. "Fine, but make it quick. Your suitors will be here soon."

She got up and left the room, leaving the two sisters behind. Miya noticed the look on Thea's face and became concerned. "What's wrong, Thea? Why do you seem so sad?"

The older sister sighed. She had thought that she could hide her unhappiness from Miya, but she was wrong.

Getting down to eyelevel with the smaller girl, she explained the situation. "Listen, Miya, Grandma Sayuka is making me get married."

Miya's face lit up. "But that's great!" she cried. "You wanted to get married! Now you can…"

She trailed off as Thea shook her head. "She's making me get married to one of the men in the village."

The joy that had appeared on the younger girl's face vanished. "No, no! She can't do that!"

Thea lowered her eyes. "She's not giving me a choice. If I don't do this, she's going to kick us out."

Miya didn't hesitate to reply. "Then let's leave! We can go and…"

Again Thea shook her head. "We can't leave now. You know we can't. I… I'll just have to go through with this."

Miya began shaking her head. "But what about big brother Shuna? Marry him! Marry him!"

Tears filled Thea's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Grandma Sayuka won't allow it. She wants me to get married so she can get more help around here. In his condition, Shuna can't do that."

"But he's getting better!"

"It's too late." Thea's eyes drifted to the floor. "She's not giving me any time. She wants me to choose a suitor today."

Miya began shaking her head again. She wanted to argue further, but Grandma Sayuka had become impatient and came back in the room. "That's enough now. We still have work to do. Miya, you run along while I get Thea ready."

The younger sister began crying. "You're mean! You're mean! I hate you!"

She ran out of the room crying. The old woman merely snorted at the girl's outburst. "Mean, am I? Well just you wait. You'll be thanking me someday." She went over to Thea and began getting her ready again. "You both will."

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That day, all the single men in the village gathered around Grandma Sayuka's house, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the young maiden.

Grandma Sayuka walked out, leading Thea, who was dressed in the finest of clothes. There were gasps of delight from the men and they gathered around excitedly.

The old woman chuckled. "Thank you all for coming. Young Thea here is searching for a husband, and today she will choose the one she will marry. She has therefore arranged a test for each of you to take." She turned to Thea. "Go ahead, dear, tell them your test." Then she leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "You should go for Mr. Yomato there. He's big and strong, and very wealthy."

Thea eyed the handsome young man, but simply looked away. "Money can't buy love or happiness." With that said, she stepped forward to address the crowd. "I will marry the man who can ride Yakul."

She pointed across the field, over to the elk, who was happily nibbling at the grass. The men looked confused, thinking that the task sounded easy enough, even Grandma Sayuka raised an eyebrow at Thea's strange request.

"Well, who wants to go first?" the old woman asked.

That day, laughter rang out all around as Yakul threw off each and every person that tried to ride him. Grandma Sayuka groaned as her personal choice of the men, Mr. Yomato, fell just as the others did.

When the last suitor fell, Thea couldn't help but smile. "No one? Not one of you can ride him?"

Grandma Sayuka turned angrily to Thea. "You said you wouldn't choose an impossible task!" she accused.

The smile never left Thea's face. "I assure you, he can be ridden. Both myself and Miya have rode him, as have others."

The old woman wasn't satisfied with that. "Be that as it may, since all of them failed your test, I will choose your future husband."

"WAIT!"

The cry came from Miya. Everyone turned to find the small girl slowly walking towards them. She led a young man none of them had ever seen before by the hand over to them.

"He still has to try." Miya told them.

Thea was at a loss for words as she watched her sister lead Shuna over to them. Grandma Sayuka merely raised an eyebrow at the young man, who seemed to be wearing clothes made of Yakul's fur. "Who is this man?" she asked.

A small smile appeared on Thea's face. "His name is Shuna. And she's right, he hasn't tried yet."

The old woman gave Shuna a suspicious look before shrugging. "Very well. He wouldn't be my first choice, but I suppose if he can ride the elk, he'll be useful."

Thea began to feel hopeful as Shuna slowly approached Yakul. The eyes of master and steed met, and held for the longest time. The old woman became impatient and began tapping her foot. "Well, is he going to try to ride him or n-"

Shuna suddenly leapt up onto Yakul's back. There were shocked gasps from everyone save the two sisters as the elk allowed him to remain on his back. Taking the reigns, Shuna and Yakul jumped clear over the heads of the other suitors and rode off into the distance.

The other suitors got over their shock before they smiled and began talking amongst themselves as they returned to their homes. Thea smiled as tears of joy threatened to escape her. She turned to Grandma Sayuka, trying to contain the joy she felt.

"I believe I found my future husband." She said happily.

The old woman frowned, looking rather disappointed with the way things turned out. But once she saw the look of joy in Thea's face, she felt her irritation lessen. "Yes, I suppose you have."

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As the summer days came about, the fields grew green and healthy. Shuna too seemed to becoming more and more healthy. His emotions slowly returned and he became more and more active, though he still had yet to speak.

No longer did Shuna have to remain hidden, though Thea and Miya never revealed his past or the fact that they had been hiding him. Regardless of his condition, Grandma Sayuka still demanded that he share the workload, though she was easier on him due to the state he was in.

"I still can't figure out why you would choose someone like him to be your husband." She mumbled to Thea. "He hasn't spoken once since I've met him."

Thea just smiled. "The heart wants what the heart wants." She said happily.

The old woman just snorted. "Well _I_ want you to go cut some hay."

Thea didn't argue. How could she when she was this happy? She was going to marry the man she loved, and he was slowly recovering from whatever had happened to him.

As she walked towards the hay, a sudden cold wind began blowing out of nowhere. Large black clouds began forming in the sky, indicating that a powerful storm was coming in.

"Shuna." She whispered, and broke out into a run to his hideaway.

As she ran lightning began flying around as powerful hail fell from the dark sky. Unless something was done, the small patch of seeds that Shuna had worked so hard for wouldn't make it.

"Shuna! Shuna!" she cried when she reached his hideaway. He stuck his head out of his little shelter and Thea all but dragged him out. "We have to protect the seeds! Come on!"

The two spread a cloth and used it to protect the small plot of grain. They were pelted by large pieces of hail as they stood their ground, keeping the small patch safe. All around them, the grass got beaten flat as the storm mercilessly crushed it, just as it would have done to the grain had the young couple not been protecting it.

After what seemed like an eternity, the storm finally subsided. The two gave a sigh of relief as the sun appeared behind the clouds, floating in the calm blue sky.

Thea sat back, exhausted from the effort of keeping the grain safe. But over the calm peaceful sound of the wind blowing, she heard a voice.

"Thea…"

Her eyes snapped open and she looked to the speaker, daring to hope. Shuna was the one who had spoken, and when their eyes met, she saw the same look of life and recognition that had been in them since before whatever had happened to him in the land of the god men.

"Shuna…" she whispered hopefully. "Do you…?"

Slowly he nodded. "I remember. I remember everything."

The dam broke and tears poured down Thea's face. It was the first time she cried since her village had burned down. She had come close to crying before, but the tears had never fallen, but this time she let them flow. Unable to hold herself back, she threw herself at Shuna, crying his name.

Shuna held onto her tightly and whispered, "I'm sorry I took so long."

Thea shook her head, still crying her heart out. "As long as you're back, that's all that matters to me."

Tears began pouring down Shuna's face as well. "Thank you, Thea, thank you for everything.

Thea just held him tightly and said the words she had been longing to tell him. "I love you."

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Time went on, and things continued to get better. Shuna was back to his old self, which thrilled Thea and Miya. Even Grandma Sayuka was glad that Shuna had recovered.

"Now he's much more useful." She had said.

Time continued to move forward, and soon autumn had arrived. Thea was currently sitting by the fire sewing when a knock came at the door. She opened it to find Shuna standing there, cradling a bundle of freshly cut wheat. The very grain that had grown from the golden seeds he had so desperately searched for.

"Shuna…" she said, surprised to see him so late at night. "What brings you here so late?"

Shuna chuckled. "What, I can't come see my fiancée?" he asked.

Thea smiled and eyed the grain. "Is that…?"

Shuna nodded. "Yup. It was ready to be harvested. Now we can grow even more."

The two settled down together and watched the starry sky. Above them they saw the moon spirit as it flew across the sky. The young couple watched it fly by, glad to have overcome the hard trials that the spirit was involved in.

"Do you think it's carrying more 'food' for that creature?" Thea asked.

Shuna had told only Thea the full story of what had happened in the land of the god men. He told Miya the story as well, but left out the bad parts, not wanting to upset the girl.

"I don't know, maybe." He admitted. "As cruel as it seems, it's a cycle of nature that will probably continue for as long as life goes on." He sighed and leaned back. "I wonder how my people are doing. I hope they're alright."

Thea leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I'm sure they're alright. You did what you set out to do. Soon your people will be leading the happy healthy lives you want them to." She paused for a moment. "Shuna, I know you're going to go back someday, and when you do… can Miya and I come with you?"

Shuna looked at her. He appeared confused for a moment, but then he sat up and smiled. "Of course I will." He gentle cupped her face. "You didn't think I would leave my future wife and little sister behind, did you?"

Thea's eyes teared up. "Shuna…"

"But are you sure that's what you want?" he asked carefully. "I told you the laws of my village."

It was true. He had once again broken the laws of the Emishi and told Thea everything. The young girl had been shocked when she discovered that Shuna was actually a prince and had thought he was joking at first while Miya had _'known'_ that he was a prince all along.

"I know your laws." She replied. "But as long as I'm with you I'll be happy."

Shuna leaned in and kissed her. "I love you, Thea."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Shuna ended up staying in the village for another year. The golden seeds the wheat provided was grown throughout the bare lands and it became rich and healthy again.

The man-hunters eventually tried to take over the village, but the villagers were no longer poor weak people. They fought against the man-hunters and drove them out of the land.

Finally the day for departure came. Shuna left the villagers with half of the golden seeds as he prepared for his journey back. The villagers were sad to see them leave and tried to talk them into staying, but Shuna knew that he couldn't stay away from his village any longer. Everyone gathered around to bid the trio goodbye, thanking them for everything that they did.

But it was Grandma Sayuka that was the saddest to see them leave. "I'm really going to miss you kids." She admitted. "It's a shame you have to leave."

Thea embraced the old woman. "It's time we moved on." she said. "Thank you for everything you've done for us."

Grandma Sayuka wiped away a stray tear. "Oh, I wish I could have married you off to one of the men here, that way you would stay."

Thea just smiled and shook her head. "I'm very happy, and I can't wait for our wedding day." Shuna had wanted to wait until he returned to his village before they got married.

The old woman nodded. "Well good luck to the two of you. And I have something for you." She handed the girl a shotgun. "This belonged to my late husband. I want you to take it. It'll keep you safe until you reach wherever it is your going."

Thea gratefully accepted the gun. "Thank you, I'm sure it will come in handy."

Shuna walked over to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Thea turned to him and nodded. "Yes, lets go."

And so, Shuna, Thea, Miya, and Yakul began their next journey. Their journey to Shuna's village.

**(A/N: For those of you that read the manga, and if you haven't I suggest you do, you would know that this is where it ends. Well not in my story. I still have an epilogue to write. And if you've read any of my other stories, you'll know that the epilogue isn't that long, so it should be up tomorrow. I'll see you then, and I'll look forward to your reviews.)**


	7. Epilogue

**(A/N: The end has come. I told you it would be short; it **_**is **_**just an epilogue. Anyway, I would have had this up sooner, but I got hit by Hurricane Hannah and the power went out. Hope everyone else is ok. And now I give you the last chapter.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Epilogue**

The king bowed down before the grave in front of him, praying to his recently deceased ancestor.

"Oh Grandma Kaya, it has been nearly two months since you've left us." He said sadly. "Things have not gotten any better. Shuna still hasn't returned. I fear that if something is not done soon, that our people will be in grave danger."

He received no answer from the tombstone, not that he expected any. Things had only gone downhill since Shuna left four years ago. Oh how the king and his people prayed for his fast return with the mysterious golden seeds, but alas, he never came back. The people began to lose faith. They all believed the young prince to be dead, either dead or lost on his mission to retrieve the golden seeds. Only Grandma Kaya seemed to have unshakable faith in the boy. She never once doubted him for a moment, and her words and positive attitude gave the people hope that one day their prince would return from his journey.

But she was gone now, and the world seemed like a much darker place. Without her words of comfort and faith, the people had begun to lose hope once again. It seemed as if all was lost.

"Grandma Kaya, please," the king begged, "if Shuna is still alive, if he can still save us, please give us a sign. Just something to have faith in."

Almost in reply, a gentle breeze picked up. A trail of leaves and grass traveled on the wind, flying right past the king's face. He turned in the direction the leaves had blown, and looked to the west. That was when he saw a most beautiful sight. A young man, along with two girls, one very small and the other about the same age as the boy, were riding towards the village on an elk that carried large sacks on its sides.

The people began to gather around the newcomers, as the young man opened one of the sacks to reveal large amounts of golden seeds. Four years had really changed the young man, and he had to reintroduce himself along with the two girls.

The Emishi prince had returned with salvation.

**THE END**

**(A/N: A little sad, I know, but I hoped you liked it. I know it was short, but I still went through the trouble of writing it, so how about a review, or two, or ten. Hee, hee, kidding, would be nice though. So let me know what you think, and I'll hopefully see you again when I write my next story.)**


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